What I Learned About Owning My Career

I have formed a bond of sorts with some of the other mothers at my daughter’s daycare. These women and I swap tidbits about our lives in the hurried mornings as we wipe noses and restock cubbies with diapers. Through these fractured conversations, I have learned that I have plenty in common with them. We are all “older mothers”––at thirty-five, I am one of the youngest in the circle. We all have given birth to second children since we met. We all have fretted over solid foods and sibling rivalry. And all of our careers have evolved as our families have grown.

We started together two and a half years ago, carrying tiny babies in bucket car seats, our high heels clicking as we rushed out the door to full-time jobs. Since then, each of us has figured out some sort of alternative work schedule. I quit my job as a newspaper reporter because I wanted to work at home. Several have cut back to part-time hours. One mom works at home on Fridays.

One of these friends recently invited a couple of us to attend a conference for working mothers called “Own Your Life.” The conference was sponsored by Mom Corps, a company that connects women who want to work part-time with employers. I knew about Mom Corps because I interviewed CEO Allison O’Kelly for a story called “Finding Stimulating Work? Yes, It’s Possible!” The event’s headline speaker was to be Jean Chatzky, author and television personality. The conference sounded interesting and I thought it would be fun to hang out with the other daycare moms—so I signed up.

That morning, I was late pulling into the parking garage of the Atlanta hotel hosting the event. A steady stream of other women were still making their way through the garage. Perhaps I wasn’t the only one who had to wait for a babysitter to arrive (my newborn hasn’t started daycare yet). I checked my dress for spit up, applied lip-gloss, and headed in. I found my friends Charlotte and Tina nibbling on breakfast from the buffet set up in the lobby. We compared potty training notes before the conversation turned to careers. Charlotte said her company actually has increased both her responsibilities and direct reports since she went part-time. Go Charlotte! This says a lot about her boss and also about Charlotte, who obviously is awesome at her job. Tina, an attorney, explained she is switching firms. At her last job, she went part-time only to end up working nearly full-time hours.

“That happens to so many people,” I told her.