A portrait of working moms

I am honored to be a part of A Well Crafted Party‘s series about working moms! Writer Jenni Bost’s story about me is up on her site—check it out!

Catherine Ryan Gregory portrait of working moms
Beautiful photos by the inimitable Mary Boyden from Momma Bear Magazine

As I told Jenni, I want my girls to see me working—for the ups and the downs.

“I want them to witness the excitement, passion, even frustration it sparks in me,” I told Jenni. “Because no relationship is perfect, including the one with your work. Seeing that I can be angry or aggravated by work but push through it and stick with it is a great example of how life works.”

I also want my girls to grow into the independence and creativity I had when both my parents worked when I was a kid.

“When I grew up, both my parents worked. Having a lot of free time on our own made me and my siblings invent fun for ourselves. We spent hours imagining ourselves as fairies or orphans or alligator wrestlers. We dedicated weeks to turning our play room into a haunted house. We made up songs and ran around outside and skinned our knees and broke windows (though not too often, thankfully),” I told Jenni. 

“I want my girls to have a similar childhood – one that’s not micromanaged by me.”

Are you a working mom or dad? How do YOU make it work? If your parents worked, how did that color your childhood?

14 thoughts on “A portrait of working moms

  • April 21, 2016 at 3:54 pm
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    What a fun feature! I love the goal to not micromanage a childhood. With safety, goals and the pressure to hit milestones I imagine it is incredibly hard for parents to take a breath.

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    • April 21, 2016 at 4:07 pm
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      These days things are so different from our childhoods. I want to make sure Peeper and Kiwi have some of the freedom I enjoyed!

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  • April 21, 2016 at 5:03 pm
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    Thinking of “micromanage” makes me think of some of the “helicopter parents” I had when I coached girls vball. Your child will thank you later in life!!

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    • April 21, 2016 at 9:53 pm
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      What, you mean I *shouldn’t* argue with teachers about their grades or go with them to job interviews?!?!

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  • April 21, 2016 at 6:07 pm
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    I so loved your interview and have marked so many quotes for use further on. In the series. Your version of motherhood is one I feel fits with my desires with my kids. I am planning on soaking in all that knowledge!

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    • April 21, 2016 at 9:53 pm
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      We are kindred spirits! <3

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  • April 22, 2016 at 7:54 am
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    Great feature!! Both of my parents worked FT and then some when I was a kid, and back then (and still somewhat now), Filipino culture was still very much ruled by the men in the family, so I’m glad I grew up with a strong independent mom and great-grandmother who both paved their own paths. When I quite corporate life and started working on my own, my mantra became “Done is better than perfect” and I still sing it to this day, with kids and work! 🙂 Congrats on the feature and thanks for being an inspiration for other working moms out there!

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    • April 22, 2016 at 4:50 pm
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      That is such a great mantra. I should frame it and put it up in my home office! Ha! Thanks for the encouragement, Marlynn!

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  • April 22, 2016 at 3:08 pm
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    What a great feature! Being a parent seems to be the hardest job there is.

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    • April 22, 2016 at 4:49 pm
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      Yes – and the best!

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  • April 22, 2016 at 10:46 pm
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    Hi Catherine Ryan, I too am a working mama. My little guy was 4 months old when I went back to work. It has been three months so far and I still struggle in terms of finding a rhythm that works for our family. Did you or do you still have that kind of daily struggle?

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    • April 22, 2016 at 10:48 pm
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      Sorry!! My auto-correct kicked in. I meant to say Catherinemryan in the post above. Apologies for the mix up!!

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    • April 26, 2016 at 2:59 am
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      Oh totally, Mama Hedgehog! I find that I can do ok when work and home life are smooth, but when either gets busy, I struggle. A lot. I think it’ll always be a challenge to balance, especially when the kids are still at home and not in school yet. Have you found anything in particular that helps your family?

      Reply

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