SCADAtlanta Overview

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Calling All Stay-At-Work Moms!
Sojourner Marable Grimmett
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Finding a balance
This session is for professional moms who
desperately want to find a BALANCE between WORK
and MOTHERHOOD. An open discussion following
the presentation will inspire you to find
solutions and options on how you can get rid of
the guilt, pursue a successful career, and work
with your employer to find a healthy balance.
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About Me
I was immersed into higher education at a very
young age. My father is a professor, so we moved
from college town to college town. Currently, I
serve as the Assistant Director of Recruitment at
a Southeastern university of art and design. I
have enjoyed working in admissions for almost 6
years. I am very passionate about working with
students.
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Motto Live Well, Love Much, Laugh Often!
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Mommy Autograph Bingo
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Working Mom Stats
82.8 million Estimated number of moms in the
United States. Modern Moms Average 2 kids
(1950s 3.5 kids 1700s 7-10 kids). First-time
Moms Average age of new moms is 25 (vs. 21 in
1970). 80 The percentage of first-time moms
who worked one month or less before giving
birth in the early part of this decade. This
compares with 44 percent who did so between 1961
and 1965.
Working Moms by country 1) Sweden 76 6)
Netherlands 66 2) Denmark 74 7)
Belgium 66 3) Norway 73 8) United
States 61 4) Portugal 70 9) France
59 5) Austria 66 10) Finland
59 Source http//www.nationmaster.com
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Stay-At-Work Moms

• It's an issue that strikes at the hearts of
  millions of women
• Can you be a great mom and a successful career
  woman?
• Is it possible for women to have it all?
• More than 15,000 women - both stay-at-home and
  working moms - opened up about their feelings on
  motherhood.
• Two-thirds of working moms said they would quit
  work and stay home with their kids if they
  could.
• Over 90 said they work for financial reasons.
• Among stay-at-home moms, over one-third wished
  they worked outside the home.
• Source http//www.oprah.com/slideshow/oprahshow/o
  prahshow1_ss_20070123

In an Oprah.com poll
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How She Really Does It
Wendy Sachs, journalist and mother of two, set
out to find what's really happening at the
intersection of motherhood and work today.
Based on her in-depth interviews with mothers
from diverse backgrounds, How She Really Does It
explores the creative and courageous ways in
which stay-at-work moms are making it happen.
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Sachs discovered in her findings

• Walked away from this book realizing that there
  is no right or wrong way of satisfying the dual
  desires of career and motherhood. 
• There is no perfect formula and no
  one-size-fits-all solution because our needs as
  mothers are not static - they change over time
  and vary considerably amongst women. 
• Women dont have to feel stuck at the
  intersection of career and motherhood.  We need
  to continue demanding change in the workforce
  while creating even more opportunities for
  ourselves. 
• Our careers help define us, they make us feel
  complete, they enhance our well being and our
  relationships and give us a more secure financial
  future. 
• Source http//www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8062087/

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Kiss Guilt Goodbye
For many women, the standards are impossibly
high, and the world and their inner voices are
telling them that nothing they do is good enough.
Its all too easy to feel as though youre always
falling short. - Psychology Professor June
Tangney
1. You cant seem to stop saying that youre
sorry. 2. Others tell you that youre too hard
on yourself, you expect too much from
yourself. 3. You cant say no, even if this
means giving up your movie and manicure. Sourceh
ttp//www.cnn.com/2007/LIVING/personal/12/27/rid.o
f.guilt/index.html
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Youre Awesome, so Get Rid of Guilt!

• Psychologist Dr. Robin Smith
• "So much of what we decide is acceptable or is
  unacceptable isn't really about what you think"
• "It's NOT about what your mother might be
  thinking, what your grandmother's thinking, what
  your neighbors are thinking.
• Ignore the voices of others in our lives who
  encourage us to stay at home or go back to work.
• A happy mom is one who first takes care of
  herself.
• Sourcehttp//www.oprah.com/article/oprahandfriend
  s/rsmith/rsmith20070124

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Making Work WORK FOR YOU!
Telecommuting Great option for employees who
do not regularly interact with customers
face-to-face. Flexible and Part-time schedules
News reports show more than 50 percent of
companies now offer varying start and end times
for salaried positions. Compressed work week
Allows employees to work longer hours throughout
the week in exchange for a full or partial day
off. Job sharing If you're looking to work
part-time in a full-time world. Source Kate
Lorenz is the article and advice editor for
CareerBuilder.com.
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Make Work Days More Pleasant

• Personalize your space. Make your
• workspace a place that makes you smile.
• Take a (virtual) vacation.
• Try to get the annoying things off your
• to-do list before lunch.
• Take a walking break in the afternoon and get
  some fresh air or visit a friend in another
  department.
• During lunch, pray, exercise, take a
• nap (rest), play some tunes, meditate.
• Add a fountain, the sounds of running water can
  be soothing.
• Dress up! Wear something that makes you feel and
  look good!

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Working Mothers Support Group
Description Join the Working Mothers Support
Group, which supports moms in their quest to
balance professional careers and raise happy,
healthy children. Bring a brown bag lunch.

• Met with the Director and received approval to
  start a support group on campus.
• Arranged a convenient and safe place for the
  group to meet monthly (private conference room).
• Invited staff and faculty moms to join the group,
  (advertised on the universitys message system,
  Facebook and by word of mouth).
• Weve been meeting monthly since March 2008.
• Activities Baby clothing / Toy swap, Recipes
  Exchange, Potlucks, Topic of the Day, established
  a lactation room, etc.
• Start your own working mothers
• support group!

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Lets Talk! What works for you?

• How do you juggle a career and motherhood?
• How have you worked with your employer to find a
  healthy balance?
• How have you managed to pursue a successful
  career?

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References

• Ann Crittenden, The Price of Motherhood Why the
  Most Important Job in the World Is Still the
  Least Valued (New York Henry Holt, 2001).
• Sheila Ellison, The Courage to Be a Single
  Mother Becoming Whole Again After Divorce (New
  York HarperCollins, 2001).
• Jean Kunhardt, Lisa Spiegel, and Susan Kunhardt,
  A Mothers Circle An Intimate Dialogue on
  Becoming a Mother (New York The Soho Parenting
  Center, 2004).
• Peggy Orenstein, Flux Women on Sex, Work, Love,
  Kids Life in a Half-Changed World (New York
  Anchor Books, 2000).
• Wendy Sachs. How She Really Does It Secrets of
  Successful Stay-At-Work Moms (Cambridge, MA Da
  Capo Press, 2005).
• Elizabeth Warren and Amelia Warren Tyagi, The
  Two-Income Trap Why Middle Class Parents Are
  Going Broke (New York Basic Books, 2003).
• Naomi Wolf, Misconceptions Truth, Lies and
  Unexpected on the Journey to Motherhood (New
  York Henry Holt, 2001).

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Helpful Websites Mom-to-Mom

• www.momsrising.org
• www.thirdpath.org
• www.workingmother.com
• www.bluesuit.com
• www.manicmommies.com
• www.mommytrackd.com
• www.anti9to5guide.com/
• www.workitmom.com
• www.workingmomsagainstguilt.com
• www.momsrefuge.com
• www.familyeducation.com
• www.momslikeme.com
• www.cafemom.com
• www.minti.com
• www.mothersclick.com
• www.momjunction.com
• www.mombloggersclub.com
• www.womenforhire.com

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Thank you Moms!
Questions?
Email me sojournergrimmett_at_gmail.com