A Mom's Life

I’ve been a working professional long enough now that people start asking me to talk to emerging professionals about various topics in the workforce. Unfortunately, what irks me is that the most frequent topic I’m asked to speak about is work/life balance. I let anyone who knows me know that I have a lot to say about a lot of stuff and of course, as the mother of two children, I can't help but have a lot to say about work/life balance. Yet it bothers me that this balance is what I am "most well known for" in the professional realm. Sometimes, I wish people wanted me to speak about the other things in my professional life that I know a lot about. I’d like to think that I do a lot of things well and maybe there's someone out there who could learn something from what I have to say about it. Today, however, I realized that on the outside, it must look like I do a really good job of balancing working full-time and managing a household. I guess I should be happy about that...

I am certified to administer the Myers-Briggs type indicator. I have found this psychological tool to be incredibly beneficial, both to the clients I work with, as well as for myself. Sometimes, when we are in situations with conflict, the start to a resolution is understanding that we all think, organize ourselves, and make decisions in very different ways. I have previously written about Andy’s and my differences related to our personality types, particularly the last dichotomy of the Myers-Briggs. The final dichotomy tells us about someone’s outward orientation to the world and the letters are J and P which stand for Judging and Perceiving. I am a J and Andy is a P. Just to refresh you about the MBTI, J's are planners. J's are people who think ahead and plan ahead and have color-coded planners and checklists. They have a hard time veering from a schedule. P's are the people who go with the flow. They may not have a planner at all or they rely solely on their mind to ke...

T his past weekend I returned to my childhood home to pick up my kids who'd been with my mom for the week and to have Easter dinner with my family. When I was younger, I knew that I wanted to move away from home. I'd never wanted to be one of those people who grew up and then stayed and lived in the community I was brought up in. I'd never even considered it as an option. Now, in just a few hours, I can drive through the amazing Berkshire Mountains, cross the line between New York and Massachusetts, and be home in time for lunch. That feels like the perfect distance - no pop in visits but not too far to hop in the car in an emergency. While, most days, I’m busy juggling work and family and all the responsibilities that come along with it, I am able to get home every few months. When I do return home, no matter the season, I’m always amazed at how beautiful it is there. My parents' house is situated next to a lake which is really a relatively small man-made pond. Their...