“Motherhood comes with a secret. It comes with an advanced degree in life. A Masters of Motherhood that translates on the soccer field right into the boardroom. What other job in life has the ability for us to hone such a vast skill set?”
In May, the Month of Moms, I celebrate all the women in the “hood.” We are a large, yet unique group of women who take learning on the job to another level! We may feel as though our roles as mothers only allow us to teach others…but what we learn in the process, and what we learn from our children is magnificent. Here is a list of skills incorporated into your role as mom that will serve you well both personally and professionally all through your life.
1. Empathy: Motherhood teaches us to see the world through our children’s eyes. In so doing we become empowered to meet people where they actually are rather then where we think they should be. Empathy allows us to lose judgment in favor of support and acceptance.
2. Communication: As moms we often communicate without words. We use intuition. We learn when to react and when to respond. We understand not only what is said to us, but also what is not.
3. Love: Love for our children teaches us all just how big our hearts are. When we have one child we think we cannot love anyone more…how can there be more love than this? When we have more than one child we learn that our love can in fact expand and grow. Motherhood also teaches us about the depths of love all the way to the moon and back!
4. Caregiver: Nothing is sadder than a sick child. We aim to fix the situation as soon as possible. With on-the-job training we diagnose, bandage, hydrate and care for the wounded. We can spot a fever across the room, clean a wound without looking, and wipe just about anything! Just call us Dr. Mom. Motherhood teaches us about giving for the sake of giving and without looking for a return on investment.
5. Sharing: Our time, our resources, our clothing, our cars are all passed around and sub-divided. “Mommy Land” expands our ideas about what belongs only to us, and teaches us where we need to have firm boundaries and rules in place to hold our own.
6. Team/Community Spirit: Family is a community…our own personal “team” in life. Motherhood hones our abilities to play our individual parts, celebrate, cheer, and train this personal team. We are coaches, confidants, players and guides. Membership is free as well as priceless. How we run our family life is often closely tied to how we run our businesses. Delegate at home, probably delegate well at the office. Queen Bee at work, possibly at the center of all that happens in your family team.
7. Safety & Security: As parents we are protectors. We survey best routes, best products, and the safest and best foods. We sleep with our eyes and ears partially open. We miss nothing. Well, almost nothing… Being a mom helps us to better understand right from wrong and good from bad. The responsibilities of motherhood have us caring about our own wellness and health and about what individual choices we make to keep us out of harms way.
8. Management/Organization: We run households, schedule play dates, book sports and extra curricular activities, plan trips and make lunches. We are drivers, booking agents, travel agents, short order cooks and receptionists all rolled into one. The many hats that we wear at home translate to little-to-know problem getting the job done in our business lives. Being mindful of self-love and not running on empty is one of the greatest lessons we can ever personally learn. The sharpest tool in regard to organization and management is remembering to schedule and include yourself first so that you have the energy and commitment you need for others.
9. Leadership: Our children are miniature versions of ourselves. We can so clearly see them mirror back to us our own behaviors. Sometimes what we see may be a red flag. We are the first and the longest lasting role models that our kids will ever have. What we do and how we lead as parents and as women impact future generations. Our ability to be the best version of ourselves, to understand, and challenge our own boundaries, permeates our ability to lead in all aspects of life.
Originally published at medium.com