working mom

My parents were both in graduate school getting their PhDs until I turned five. My father became the principal of my elementary school when I entered kindergarten. My mother started teaching at a nearby university soon after. She worked 3/4 time and was home early enough to pick up me and my two younger brothers from school and day care twice a week. The other days we stayed until six -- that's when my dad left work.

I'm pretty sure that my parents didn't HAVE to work to make ends meet, but they wanted us to live comfortably. There was private school education, summer camp, plane trips to visit family, etc. I'm also certain that my mother didn't want to stay at home with us every day. She was with us in the evening, on weekends, and in the summer. She liked her job (still does), and the satisfaction of fulfilling her profesional goals made her happy when she was with us. I think she is lucky she found a career that she enjoys.

I never felt neglected or lonely because both of my parents worked. I loved hearing stories about my mother's students and coworkers. I loved going to campus and playing in her office or the bookstore when I had vacation. I hope that when I have kids, I can give the same kind of energy to both my job and my family.