Moms Returning to Work

Reposition yourself to re-enter the workforce; join me on my personal branding journey.

I'd like to take a moment to address a topic that is very relevant to this blog; returning to work after being a stay-at-home mom. I am in this position myself. It's what this blog is about. So before I delve further into my career-related self-analysis, let me take a minute to talk about this major life transition. That's what it is. And transitions of any type are usually challenging, to say the least. 

Many mothers feel ambivalent about returning to work for a variety of reasons. They may feel guilty, afraid or stressed. They may lack confidence in their abilities and worry that their family will fall apart if they go back to work.  I think a good thing to ask yourself is what is your motivation?  My guess is that your going back to work will benefit your family in some way, or why else would you do it?  We mothers are a protective bunch. We want to take care of our own.

My daughter will be entering school full-time in the fall, and it is the perfect time for me to consider re-entering the workforce.  I only have one child, so I will finally have time to do something else. If I had more than one child, I may not feel the same way.  But, the years I have spent with my daughter have been invaluable. I have been happier in the last ten years than ever before. Why? I feel secure.   

I really needed to nest. I had traveled and moved around a lot and I needed to set down roots. When I worked as a professional single woman at Avon China in the 1990's, I loved and lived for my job, but I was lonely.  After I returned to the U.S. in 1996, I had an early mid-life crisis. I needed to take my life in a different direction, but only in hind sight do I realize that all I really wanted and needed was to get married and to have a family.  It may sound obvious, but I was not raised to value being a stay-at-home mom.

I am glad to have had the education and opportunity to have a solid career beneath me before I embarked on the family track.  I was able to prove myself, and that gave me confidence.  Because I waited to have a child, I had a strong sense of self going into my marriage. I didn't feel like I was missing anything, because I had done all I wanted and more. I was ready to settle down and now, having taken care of the personal side of my life, I am ready to go back to work. 

If you are a mom grappling with returning to work, what is your experience?

See you next Friday...