Stay-at-Home Mom Experience

Has raising kids given me any experience I can use when I return to work?  You betcha!

Some of the experience I’ve gained I’m not sure I would have gotten any other way.  I’ve always been a multitasker, but now I’m a world class juggler.  And part of that is being able to use five minutes, or even a minute, wisely.  After my first child was born, I lamented how I no longer had chunks of time I could devote to anything, whether it was reading, folding laundry, or cooking a meal.  Interruptions were constant.  And I was hugely frustrated.  But I adapted and learned I could get something done in a few minutes.  And over the course of the day, those cumulative somethings added up to pretty darn good productivity.

In addition, I’ve gained a huge amount of wisdom and patience.  Temper tantrums and egos mean nothing to me any more.  I don’t take them personally.  In fact, I can laugh in the face of a tantrum.  I am unflustered by inflated egos.

But I do have a lot less tolerance for nonsense.  Which, I think, is just fine to have on the job.  I simply don’t have time to waste.  I’m not going to fret about making a phone call or what the person at the other end might be like.  Who cares!  In the time it takes to strategize and worry, I can just do it and get it done.

And, frankly, I’ve learned about priorities.  Things that used to upset me, simply don’t any more.  When your child is about to be lost to drug abuse, or when a friend’s child dies from an overdose, well, some things just seem kind of silly after that.