Being mom and the breadwinner

Just had to share a very interesting article on MSNBC today talking about how the role of women in the workforce is really changing and an increasing number of women are the breadwinner in the family.

A variety of women are quoted throughout the article, with two really sharing how I have felt. I had no problem being the breadwinner before I became a mom. It was actually something I was rather proud of, and while Andrew waited for his work visa, it was just the way it was. But since becoming a mom, it's a lot more difficult. I feel more torn between work and home in a way I never had been in the past. Andrew never minded that I had to work late. Now there's an intense guilt when I don't make it home in time to tuck Dylan into bed. Granted, those nights are luckily few and far between, as I can work at home after he goes to bed most of the time. But it's hard when Dad gets the joy of picking him up at daycare, although I relish the excited "Mama!" that is yelled as I enter the door.

But there's more pressure too. One woman in the article said something I often find myself thinking: how do you balance the pressure of being the mom, making the money, and still trying to find time for you? It's not easy.

On the flip side, as I enjoy the quiet time in the car each morning and afternoon as I commute home, I'm thankful that Dylan is growing up with a strong female role model. I hope he grows up proud that his mom enjoys going to work. That he goes to college in part because he's proud of the businesswoman his mom became because of her education. That he grows up respecting a woman's mind and values her contributions to the home beyond cooking and cleaning. That he sees that he has a mom who loves being a mom, but also a contributor to society and a woman who is fulfilled by her career.