7 Reasons Why Moms (and Dads) Should Be Hired as CEOs

It’s come to my attention that many of the working gals I know fear the same thing after they get pregnant: If I take time off for my kids, will I be able to jump back into my career in a few years?

This is a tangible concern, one that I shared when I got pregnant for the first time. Lucky for me, my skill set allowed me to strike out on my own and redefine my career. But what if I wanted to go back? Would I be punished for leaving the editorial industry for three or four years?

Probably, and it’s not fair. In fact, I think stay-at-home moms and dads who are re-entering the workforce should be hired for major leadership positions. Companies should rejoice in their rejoining their respective professions and snatch them right up.

Why, you ask? As parents, we have developed some incredibly desirable skills. Here are just a few.

Time Management – Let’s start with an obvious one. Every parent works 24/7, but still feels like there aren’t enough hours in the day. We develop little shortcuts (hacks, if you will), schedules, and Google spreadsheets to keep us on track. We run our homes like a business, with deadlines, family meetings, and working lunches.

Tough Love – Okay, we can’t fire our kids, but we can discipline them. We can mentor them, recognizing their skills and talents, and nurture them. We are the leaders of our families and the kids look to us for guidance.

Balancing the Books –  I actually leave this to my husband. He’s the numbers man. But many stay-at-home parents, including my mom, keep the family budget on track, recognizing when the family needs to cut back or when they can afford to expand or move to new space.

Flexibility – Another obvious one. Every day brings new challenges. Your kid slept through the night for a solid week? It doesn’t mean they will this week. Your plans change on a dime, and so must you, like any good CEO in the business world.

Grace Under Fire – This one kind of goes with flexibility. When your kid has a 105 fever, or a total meltdown in the middle of the grocery store, you can’t cave. You need to clear your head and deal with the problem. You can cry after the crisis is over, but do it privately.

Mad Conflict Resolution Skills – Your kids will fight with each other. They’ll fight with you and your partner, and you need to be able to resolve the problem no matter how silly it may be. Same thing with employees. One worker is invading the space of another and they can’t work it out on their own? Put on your parent hat and figure it out.

Managing the Details, but Seeing the Bigger Picture – From the day your baby is born, you are guiding they little guy through milestones, educating them with a goal in mind. For us, that goal is for two MIT grads who start their own Fortune 500 company and take care of their parents for the rest of their lives.

Just kidding.

What they will become may be entirely different from what we picture, but that’s they way it goes. But as long as they are well-adjusted, independent, and intelligent gentlemen, we’re happy. We break that goal down into smaller benchmarks to hit as they grow.

A company is the same way. A founder or CEO may have one vision for the organization in mind, but as long as the endeavor is successful, it doesn’t really matter how it evolves.

So there you go, my case for hiring all stay-at-home parents as leaders of the business world. Agree? Disagree? Let me know what you think.

Your Partner Is Tired, Too

New moms and moms-to-be are so good at supporting each other. Whether it’s through MeetUp groups, blog posts, or mommy circles, there are always ways to meet women who will be there to support you, commiserate with you, and laugh with you.

With all of the blogs, online forums, and even marketing campaigns aimed directly at you, it’s very easy to get wrapped up in your own pain, sacrifice, joy, and fatigue. If you’re pregnant, no doubt you’re dealing with a dozen or so aches and pains, sleepless nights, and the emotional rollercoaster your hormones never seem to want to stop riding.

If you’re a stay-at-home mom, particularly a new one, you’re dealing with healing from labor/Caesarian and adjusting to caring for a child all day. You may even be going through a change in social groups, losing some friends while trying to meet new ones.

If you’re working, you’re dealing with the guilt of putting your little one in daycare, rushing to get your work done to be home for the few hours the little guy is awake. Maybe you’re trying to pump at work and still get up at night with the baby.

There’s no doubt about it: Moms are put through the ringer, and we deserve all the support we can get.

But pan left to the guy or gal standing next to you. Yup, your partner.

You see, as much as it feels like it sometimes, it’s not all about you and the baby. It’s about your partner, too. And let me tell you, there are many days that pillar of strength needs just as much support as you do, if not more.

Case in point: my husband.

Since the day the little man was born, my husband has been sharing night feedings with me, even if it means he gets maybe four hours of sleep before he has to get up and put in a full day of work. There are bunches of days he has to stay late, but no matter what time he gets home he takes off his coat and immediately switches to Dad mode.

He bathes the little guy, plays with him, gives him his bottle, and puts him to bed. Then, he cleans up the kitchen and makes himself something to eat, if I haven’t had time to make dinner myself.

Once this is all done, he relaxes on the couch, but only if I don’t need some emotional support myself. Being eight months pregnant with an infant to care for is no picnic. There are days when I burst into tears the minute he walks through the door. So, he gives up his evening to cuddle with me until I feel better.

If there’s anything I need – a glass of water, my toenails clipped, a back rub — I can count on him for it. He cleans what I can’t, cooks when I’m too tired, takes the little man on endless walks around the house (he’s learning to be mobile) because I can’t bend over.

He’s there for both of us.

It’s very easy to be jealous of, and even resent, your partner, particularly if you’re a stay-at-home mom. After all, they usually get to keep their social circle. They freely walk out of the house sans diaper bag every morning and join the working world. They interact with other people every day, people who don’t necessarily use words like “poopy” and “nap time” on a regular basis. Their whole lives didn’t change in an instant.

But they did. You just didn’t notice. Just like you have two or three hats to wear each day, so do they. They are answering to a boss, worrying about getting paid and then coming home to be moms and dads and supportive partners.

It’s great that there is so much support for moms. We need it. But we also need to get over ourselves once in a while and look to our partners. Ask them how their day was and really listen. Make them a cup of coffee in the morning, especially if they got up early so you could sleep in. Take an extra night shift if you see that they’re really dragging and you’re feeling pretty good.

You guys were partners before the baby. It’s imperative you keep that partnership going. Remember that it’s a two-way street, and that your partner needs you just as much as you need them.

Photo Source: Flickr