It is wise to enter the Mommy Wars cautiously. The battles over the best ways to be a mother are fraught with tension with the battle over those who work “outside the home” (the new phrase to ensure that those who work inside the home are not offended!) and those that stay at home (is that still ok?!) being the biggest third rail. I’ll suggest that there should be common ground about reentering the work force after whatever period of time served the family for Mom to stay home.
Here’s why: through my time running The Learning Consultants, my clients were primarily mothers of high school students. Purely observational data here: those that were not or at least would not be working outside the home soon were usually less happy and usually had less self-esteem. Kathy, a mom from Guilford, CT and a very smart woman, said what I’ve heard more than a few times: “what do I know? I’m just a house wife.”
In the years running Career Counseling Connecticut, I have noticed that many women who approach us about reentering the work force have lost a great deal of confidence, not just related to work but also life. Going through a process with a career coach has proven to be rewarding both professionally and personally for our clients.