Secret Life of a Soccer Mom

So I caught the new show, The Secret Life of a Soccer Mom on The Learning Channel this evening (check it out here). It was interesting, but a lot of it seemed staged.

What I didn’t like about the show was the type of work situation that they dropped this mom into. After being at home for nearly 10 years, she was returned to the world of fashion design by being asked to design three dresses in three days that were shown to extremely important buyers. She was under a lot of pressure and stress, and seemed to be given very little support or direction. However, the outcome was ultimately good, with a positive effect on her self-confidence once one of her designs was successful.

At the end, they offered her a full-time job that started in just a few days. Based on the glimpse of the work world they showed, my guess is that she would be expected to work long hours under a lot of stress.

While debating her options, she said, “I don’t want to have to choose.” And she shouldn’t have to. Why can’t they offer her something in the middle? Many stay-at-home moms successfully return to work in a job with flexible or even reduced work hours. They seek out and find a work opportunity that allows them to re-enter their profession while still feeling positive about the care they are providing for their children.

She did accept the position in the end. They don’t tell us what happened a few weeks later after her world was turned upside down. And beyond getting her a job, they don’t talk about providing her any other help to return to work such a childcare or other domestic support.

Obviously this was a TV show looking to generate some conflict and interest. If they dropped her into a family friendly work opportunity, the decision would have been too easy for her. But this show could provide a great opportunity to publically examine the struggles of working mothers.