Working Moms Are Resilient

Last week I was asked to describe a time when I was resilient. My mind immediately started racing trying to think of a major event where I was resilient.  However, I kept coming back to one idea—I am a working mom, I am resilient every day.  When I shared this with another person, they replied to that my answer is not what they are looking for. This made me doubt my thought. So I went to Google to make sure that I had the right definition.  Google says a resilient person is “able to withstand or recover quickly from difficult conditions”. I think this definition confirms my idea: I am a working mom, I am resilient. I will admit that one woman’s “difficult conditions” may not be another woman’s “difficult conditions”. However, for me, when I am running late to work and the 2-yr refuses to put pants on, this is a difficult situation. When my boss has a one hour meeting that starts at 3pm but is still going strong at 5, this is a difficult situation.  So, maybe my friend is correct and these are not the examples that they were looking to hear. However, I maintain that working moms know a thing or two about being resilient.  We have to keep going for our kids, our spouses, our co-workers, and also ourselves. Successful working moms have to have techniques and systems in place so that they do not “lose it” or “break down”. This does not mean that there is no crying. Crying can be good for the soul and resiliency. Crying, screaming, laughing, talking with friends, massages, wine, running, cooking, and playing with my boys are a few of my techniques to stay resilient. Most importantly for me is that I repeat to myself that things will be okay.  If my son goes to daycare in his pajamas, it will be okay. If I have to call a friend to pick my kids up before aftercare closes, it will be okay. Fortunately or unfortunately, as a working mom I often get to practice recovering, adapting, and growing. To all the other working women—Keep Being Resilient!