We work. We mother. Some amongst us even floss.
And when I say floss, I’m not talking about the dental hygiene kind. Neither the fluffy pink sugar on a stick which despite bringing back fond memories of school carnivals, I now avoid knowing better that being the sweet tooth I am, diabetes is coming for me.
But back to flossing. For those moms with kids who game you know what I’m talking about. It’s that quite complex (I found after my own failed attempts) clenched fists, hands swinging side to side with simultaneous hip shake dance move which went viral after being popularized by the video game Fortnite. My boss, Bev, came to work one day proudly showing off a pretty impressive rendition – thanks of course to a good trainer – her 8-year-old son.
You can’t deny that a mom who can floss, is one cool chick. And getting your floss on is only one of the gazillion things the working mom of today has got covered, full-time job, kids, and all.
Let’s dub her after the worker bee – Worker Mom. The worker mom is a title I now hold after I recently became what I like to describe as – “a newly appointed juggler of twins”. Simply put, I became a mom to twin girls and after maternity, it was back to work, back to reality.
The Worker Mom is a special species and when they say she’s “superhuman” it means she somehow does everything humanly possible and does a super job of it. For a little example, before I start my workday, I often have to do a double bottle feed to two crying little humans – one in arm – the other one mimicking some self-sufficiency by having the bottle precariously perched against the pillow after having changed diapers, refilled said bottles, brushed teeth and clothing for the day taken out and water boiling for the rest of the bottles to be made. Yip, it’s a lot.
With the dire state of our current economy – countless bailouts for state parastatals, commissions bringing to light shameless officials shrouded in acts of corruption whom you don’t know if anyone will ever be brought to book for and, many a Worker Mom now being the breadwinner – some of us have no choice but to work. Then there are also those of us who want to work. We don’t want to backtrack to the dark ages where the mother could not go out to work as that was bestowed for the man. Even with baby-in-tow (or in my case, babies), we want to have careers and contribute to society and be constructive beings earning our own way.
But it’s no easy feat. The role of the Worker Mom is capital H-A-R-D. We multitask multitasking. Often thinking about what to cook for supper, pack for lunch, add to the shopping list, dish out hugs, and help with projects, all while trying not to slack or have motherhood negatively affect our career ambitions.
In an office filled with Worker Moms, we often hold our candidates’ hands like a mother would, giving that personal touch to helping them pursue a new job. We listen, we advise, and we try to treat you like family so that you feel safe to trust us to get the position that’s right for you. All while juggling jobs and kids who depend on us, even making time to floss it out.
So cheers to the Worker Mom, sending you virtual hugs and wishing you a Happy Mother’s Day from myself and the Datafin team…xx