17 Common Misconceptions about Corporate Moms!

Hi Dear Friends!
Welcome to my blog!

First of all, hats off to all you working women married or single, moms and also to all the people who are there to for you, to nudge you on, to achieve your dreams!! Though we are now in the 21st century, the concept of man being the "breadwinner" and woman the "homemaker" is still deeply ingrained at the subconscious level in our society. There are very few men who would opt to stay at home and take care of the kids and household chores, even  if their wives are earning more than them and have better prospects. In this post I have listed the 17 common misconceptions about a corporate/ working mom. Things that people have said to me when I was working 10 hours a day, leaving my 3 month old baby with a nanny, and later when I had my 2nd baby, both children were under 5 years old then. Also, things that I have heard being said about other working moms.


17 Common Misconceptions about Corporate or Working Moms:

1. They are not attached to their children-"How can you leave such small kids with a stranger?"- To the contrary a working mom Is as attached to her child as a non working mom. She feels that she is leaving behind a part of her heart( her kids) at home. It is a painful experience.

2. They don't care for the comfort of the child-"How can you leave them in a day care centre? Its is so dangerous."-Not true... working moms are very concerned about the comfort of their babies. However, when the nanny goes on leave for a few days, ever so often, the only option is to leave the kids in a crèche  or day care centre, in the absence of extended family support such as grandparents or uncles and aunts etc. who aren't willing to pitch in. In fact, some day centres are very well maintained and take good care of the kids. They even have some activities to keep the kids happily occupied.

3. They are money minded- "You are more interested in money, than your kids"- No, they are capable of providing the family with financial stability and also contributing to the GDP of the country, with their skills and knowledge. What's so wrong with that?

4. Their kids will have psychological problems- Not necessarily, if there is quality time and adequate personal love and attention given to children they grow quite well, confident and happy.

5. They don't mind feeding their young infants or kids artificial baby foods/ packaged foods- It depends, sometimes packaged foods are safer to handle than preparing fresh food especially while transferring it or storing it for a 8 to 10 hours. If there is a nanny at home then freshly prepared food is available for the kids.

6. They are not good moms-"You are never there when your kids need you". My little ones were proud that they had a working mom. They became independent and learned to do little things on their own.  If a proper schedule is prepared there is time for everything. More likely than not a working mom will prepare a timetable, to see that everyone's need is taken care of.

7.  Something will suffer-" You cannot manage both 100%, mostly family will suffer"- Not true, a working mom is as committed at work as she is towards her family. A supportive spouse and extended family or neighbours would be of great help. In India many working moms have that support from in- laws and parents, so if that is there then nothing will suffer. If not, even a good nanny will suffice, which is hard to come by.

8 . They have sickly kids- Not true again, kids are very delicate especially up to the age of 5 years, so they fall sick often. Whether you are a working mom or a stay at home mom doesn't really matter. Hygiene is very important. The nanny can be trained to follow it meticulously, to keep visits to the doctor to the minimum.  

9. They want to compete with their husbands- To the contrary working moms are empathetic toward their husbands and understand the pressures of being the sole breadwinner. They are ready to share that burden along with their responsibilities of household chores and kids which mostly falls on the mother. Even if she has a cook, she has to ensure that the food that is cooked is edible. If not then she has to prepare something for the family, no matter how tired she is.

10. They have no time to attend to their children's needs- Neglecting the kids

To the contrary when a working mom comes home tired from work, the first thing she does is to hug her kids and ask them how they are. Listen to their stories and all the problems they faced during the day. Give them some snacks, even before having a sip of water herself. Many a times I would make tea for myself and then one of my kids would want something ASAP its always 'Right now', for them, and the tea would remain on the kitchen counter untouched and get cold. Just a small example. This goes on for days weeks and years no complains from working moms. They take in their stride and move on.

11.They like to boast about career growth at the cost of their family- Working moms are happy with their career as it gives them a sense of fulfilment. There is nothing to boast about. It is appreciable that a working mom dares to challenge the stereotypes while she fights for her rights as a human being.

12. They are unable to concentrate at work they keep thinking about their kids at work- Wrong, although it is true that working moms worry about their little ones when they are not in sight,  it is not right to assume that they are unable to concentrate at work. It may stress her out, but she will never allow her work or kids to suffer. By the way, did you know that a woman's brain can multi task?, i.e. think many thoughts at the same time, without letting one thought interfere with the other. So, no worries about concentration, unless its something serious. She can do both at the same time.

13. They take too many leaves-  Everyone takes leaves when they are sick or need a vacation that is what leaves are for. A working mom may utilise her leaves for attending to a sick child or spouse, she may not be able to accumulate them and take them all at once. The number of days will be as per company rules. Unless it is an emergency, which again can happen to anyone.

14. They are not committed to a task can ditch if kids are in need which is often- Working moms are highly committed to their tasks. They may have demands which may be unexpected at times, but again that could happen to anyone.

15. They cannot work long hours so not eligible for promotions and raises- This is an excuse to marginalise sincere hardworking talented working mothers who put in their heart and soul in their work, and to deprive them of their well deserved promotions and raises. Not working late doesn't mean working less. Working moms have responsibilities at home so they don't waste any time. Most of them complete 12 hours of work in the 8 to 10 hours they are at work. They work as efficiently and as smartly as any other sincere and efficient colleague of theirs would.

16.Their loyalty is more towards their family and may resign anytime- It is not about loyalty to the company. It is more about how much risk can she take with her kids. If there is a supportive family which comes forward to help with the kids during times of crisis, or if her husband takes the responsibility of the kids at that time, then there would be no reason to resign. If not, she has to do what is best for her children, if she has the choice.

17. They always need their colleagues to pitch in for them many times.- Most often a working mom is well organised at work and knows her tasks well before time. She always plans for certain times that she may be needed by her family and completes her work on time. Working moms are ahead of their schedules and if at all they need their colleagues to pitch in it would be as rare or as frequent as any one else would require.

That brings me to the end of this post. Do let me know your thoughts on this. Leave your comments and suggestions in the comment section below and I will get back!

Bye for now...till we meet again in my next post, take care!