I attended a conference today that just happened to be in my hometown, about three hours away from where I live now. I brought the kids with me last night and they stayed at their grandparent’s while I went to the conference. When I met up with my colleagues at the conference I shared my story of the long, frustrating drive involving my potty-training 2 year-old who needed to stop every twenty minutes or so. The other parents of toddlers traded some stories; those with older children finding amusement in our current troubles.
The exchange reminded me of how important it is to work in an environment where you are comfortable talking about your kids. I have a friend who works in a corporate setting she describes as a “good ole’ boys” office. If she is late for work, or has another conflict due to her kids, she blames the traffic or some other non-kid related event for the problems. She knows if she gets the “mom” label, her career will never move forward.
I know that my pursuit for family friendly work means that I need to work where I feel I can talk about my kids. I don’t need to work with other parents, or even somewhere that celebrates parents. I just need, at the very least, to feel comfortable talking about them.
