We all know our children do what they see us do, not what we tell them to do. And usually I think about all the terrible things I do that my kids are probably picking up on and storing away to try out themselves at some point – like my nightly glass of wine, or my commitment to eating healthy which is typically torpedoed by a mid-week pizza, or me screaming at my children to “not yell at each other.” Sigh.
This week, however, I had cause to rejoice thanks to a study reported on by the New York Times. Turns out by being a working mom my sons will likely spend, on average, seven and a half more hours per week on child care and 25 more minutes per week on household chores than sons with moms who work inside their homes (I don’t call them stay-at-home moms because those gals work as hard as I do but just don’t get paid or often times recognized for it).
For those working moms with daughters your girls are likely to achieve a higher level of education, be in supervisory roles and earn an average of 23 percent more just because you do what you do!
So I’m saying that our children probably won’t be axe murderers because we choose to have careers. And by the way, there are dozens of studies showing the benefits to kids who have moms who work inside the home. This isn’t meant to be a dis on our sisters who choose not to work outside the home.
What this is about is the fact that by choosing to have a career outside of the home we are leveling the playing field. We are teaching our sons to respect their wives and be partners when it comes to household duties. And we are teaching our daughters to lean in and not be afraid to achieve academic and professional success. And that, ladies, is worth all the angst, anxiety, and frustration of finding our balance as working moms!
For laughter and inspiration read my book The Working Mommy's Manual, available on Amazon.
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