This blog originally appeared on http://www.AtlantaWomanMag.com.
Bailout. Recession. Crash. Depression. Election. While these words do have some meaning to me, as a full-time working mother, their trickle-down effects are having far more of an immediate impact on my family than the headlines and sometimes confusing explanations of partisan pundits would have us try to believe. And this confusion has only resulted in more confusion and anxiety at the regular guy (aka Joe the Plumber) level.
I'm faced with gas prices that are prohibitive, forcing me to decide whether to make the hour-long trip to the grandparents, or conserve fuel so that I can definitely get to work next week. A gallon of milk upward of $5 or $6 - or more if, like me, you opt for organic. The impending gloom that my natural gas bill will bring as the weather gets cooler and our house gets warmer. And the overall fear that my bank - in which what's left of my savings is placed - will go out of business.
And during all this mess, I am supposed to figure out who I want to supposedly get us out of this mess? Fat chance. I've got dinner to assemble, laundry to do, preschool runs to make and a profession to keep up. I'm hoping that I'll have time to make an "educated decision" based on more than just the latest SNL skits with Tina Fey.
My husband, who is still not sure if he will vote, keeps asking how I am going to choose. I vaguely answer, "research," each time. But what, really, does this mean?
It means, go to the worldwide Web, of course! Since everything I've ever read on the Internet is true, I'll trust its resources to help me make an educated decision.
The Candidate Calculator on vajoe.com helps me to realize that Ralph Nader is the man for me - with Barack Obama running a distant third behind the Green Party's Cynthia McKinney. But wait, didn't Nader drop out of the race ages ago?
Online-tech-tips.com offers a number of sites to visit to help me make this important decision, since "This election will probably be one of the toughest for people to decide who to vote for because of the sheer number of candidates, especially the number of star power candidates like Barack Obama, Hilary Clinton, and Rudolph Giuliani." Obviously not the most updated of pages. But seriously, it does list a number of helpful sites such as:
* 2008 Presidential Election Candidates on the Issues
http://www.2decide.com/table.htm
* Project Vote Smart
http://www.votesmart.org
* Connect 2 Elect
http://www.connect2elect.com
And while some may be more up-to-date than others, they all offer helpful insight into the issues each candidate stands behind.
It's no secret that other moms are facing the same who to vote for dilemma. There is a lively discussion going on between Atlanta moms at MomsLikeMe.com. Issues of greatest importance seem to be taxes, health care and education.
I definitely have more research to do. Thank goodness for Google!
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Just How Do You Tell Your Children You're Unemployed?
This blog originally appeared on AtlantaWomanMag.com.
When it comes to the economy, lately it feels like nothing but a barrage of bad news. And because of this ominous reality, I feel this topic, issue No. 1 for many people, requires a blog post from me to you. In just about every industry I'm aware of, layoffs are happening left and right. And usually the first thing that comes to a working mom's mind is "How do I tell my family?" And more specifically, how do you communicate this news to children?
We all know that prolonged changes in a child's routine can stress them out. So, for the few weeks or months you are job-hunting, take your child's schedule into consideration as you plan how to get back on your feet. Revising resumes, scheduling and going on interviews, making follow up phone calls; these are activities necessary to re-employment, but ones that are out of the norm in your family's life. And as we all know, kids pick up on the littlest things - our moods, changes in our routine, etc. They will sense that something is different, and while spending more time with Mom is always a good thing, it will need some careful explanation in order to make your child feel safe and secure.
In a recent post on Kaboose.com, Scott Reeves relates this professional advice from Carolyn Spigel, a licensed clinical social worker and career coach at New York-based Partners in Human Resources International. "Children are watching how you handle the situation. To feel safe, children need to hear you say unemployment is something that happens to many people at one point or another in a career," she says. "Normalize the transition for them by helping them understand that unemployment is a temporary situation - not a major disaster or parental weakness. Children need to see you handle the situation with confidence. This will help them learn that they, too, will be able to manage life's challenges."
Cindy Krischer Goodman emphasized age-appropriate honesty when telling children what unemployment means for the family in a recent MomsMiami.com post: "Susan Dandes, a child psychologist on the faculty at the University of Miami, says kids worry most about how the loss of income affects them. She suggests talking openly and using age-appropriate language.
"Little ones are happier with basic information. They want to know that they are going to eat tonight.'' Older kids might require more information, she says. "You might want to talk about the economy and global issues, as well as how it affects your family.''
It seems the running theme here is honesty, with a touch of simplification if necessary, and a whopping dollop of confidence and optimism that your family will get through this situation.
If you're in need of a few pointers on how to commence your job search, check out the video above from DailyMotion.com. It's an interview featuring Maggie Mistal, a career coach who appears weekly on Martha Stewart Living Radio:
On a side note: In addition to the usual job sites, MomCorps.com, which places a big emphasis on work-life balance, offers a number of resources for working mothers including job listings, articles, blogs and a resource guide.
When it comes to the economy, lately it feels like nothing but a barrage of bad news. And because of this ominous reality, I feel this topic, issue No. 1 for many people, requires a blog post from me to you. In just about every industry I'm aware of, layoffs are happening left and right. And usually the first thing that comes to a working mom's mind is "How do I tell my family?" And more specifically, how do you communicate this news to children?
We all know that prolonged changes in a child's routine can stress them out. So, for the few weeks or months you are job-hunting, take your child's schedule into consideration as you plan how to get back on your feet. Revising resumes, scheduling and going on interviews, making follow up phone calls; these are activities necessary to re-employment, but ones that are out of the norm in your family's life. And as we all know, kids pick up on the littlest things - our moods, changes in our routine, etc. They will sense that something is different, and while spending more time with Mom is always a good thing, it will need some careful explanation in order to make your child feel safe and secure.
In a recent post on Kaboose.com, Scott Reeves relates this professional advice from Carolyn Spigel, a licensed clinical social worker and career coach at New York-based Partners in Human Resources International. "Children are watching how you handle the situation. To feel safe, children need to hear you say unemployment is something that happens to many people at one point or another in a career," she says. "Normalize the transition for them by helping them understand that unemployment is a temporary situation - not a major disaster or parental weakness. Children need to see you handle the situation with confidence. This will help them learn that they, too, will be able to manage life's challenges."
Cindy Krischer Goodman emphasized age-appropriate honesty when telling children what unemployment means for the family in a recent MomsMiami.com post: "Susan Dandes, a child psychologist on the faculty at the University of Miami, says kids worry most about how the loss of income affects them. She suggests talking openly and using age-appropriate language.
"Little ones are happier with basic information. They want to know that they are going to eat tonight.'' Older kids might require more information, she says. "You might want to talk about the economy and global issues, as well as how it affects your family.''
It seems the running theme here is honesty, with a touch of simplification if necessary, and a whopping dollop of confidence and optimism that your family will get through this situation.
If you're in need of a few pointers on how to commence your job search, check out the video above from DailyMotion.com. It's an interview featuring Maggie Mistal, a career coach who appears weekly on Martha Stewart Living Radio:
On a side note: In addition to the usual job sites, MomCorps.com, which places a big emphasis on work-life balance, offers a number of resources for working mothers including job listings, articles, blogs and a resource guide.
Friday, October 17, 2008
Just What Is A Real Housewife?
This blog originally appeared on AtlantaWomanMag.com.
For the few of you, like me, who rely on bunny ears for your television programming, you may not have heard of Bravo's reality show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Following in the steps of The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Real Housewives of New York City, RHO of the ATL spotlights five women - none of whom live ITP, mind you - who have various roles as wife, mother, single mother, businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist, among others. Watch the first episode here.
One of the wives, DeShawn Snow - a resident of Alpharetta, wife, and mother to three boys - was recently featured in Atlanta Woman 's Up & Comers section for her work "helping young women to understand the importance of self-esteem and having goals" through the DeShawn Snow Foundation.
I wasn't really aware of the program until I heard about it on The Bert Show one morning - making my thrice-weekly trek from preschool drop off to the office. Listeners were calling in with their opinions of the show - most indignant because none of the ladies actually lives in Atlanta, and because none of them live the typical life of a housewife. Meaning, of course, that Bravo chose not to profile the typical stay at home suburban mom whose days are filled with play dates, laundry, dishes, dinner, etc.
These calls got me thinking. Just what exactly is a real housewife today? Most of the women on the show have jobs, making them working mothers rather than true housewives. But, isn't the term working mother redundant? I certainly think so. Should we just throw these terms out with the bathwater?
To me, mother is a pretty powerful word in itself - one that I always put before terms like professional or full time. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. What defines the term housewife to you? Is there even a generic description that can be cobbled together?
There are certainly a lot of websites devoted to housewives:
www.retro-housewife.com
www.thefashionablehousewife.com
(I imagine this is the one Bree Van DeCamp visits the most.)
www.hillbillyhousewife.com
www.mrshappyhousewife.com
www.geekyhousewife.com
Wikihow.com even offers these helpful tips in its "How To Be A Good Housewife" section. (Seriously, I am not making this up. Please note I write this with a tinge of sarcasm.)
* Be aware of what your man needs when he comes home.
* Maintaining your appearance, while not essential in being a housewife, does certainly help remind your husband (and yourself) that you are still a woman and not simply a housekeeper.
* Keep the house tidy and pleasant. There is no excuse for your man to come home to a mess, so make friends with your vacuum and feather duster.
It's comments like these that make me feel the need for a new definition of housewife is long overdue!
Please, someone go in and edit these pages!
For the few of you, like me, who rely on bunny ears for your television programming, you may not have heard of Bravo's reality show "The Real Housewives of Atlanta." Following in the steps of The Real Housewives of Orange County and The Real Housewives of New York City, RHO of the ATL spotlights five women - none of whom live ITP, mind you - who have various roles as wife, mother, single mother, businesswoman, socialite and philanthropist, among others. Watch the first episode here.
One of the wives, DeShawn Snow - a resident of Alpharetta, wife, and mother to three boys - was recently featured in Atlanta Woman 's Up & Comers section for her work "helping young women to understand the importance of self-esteem and having goals" through the DeShawn Snow Foundation.
I wasn't really aware of the program until I heard about it on The Bert Show one morning - making my thrice-weekly trek from preschool drop off to the office. Listeners were calling in with their opinions of the show - most indignant because none of the ladies actually lives in Atlanta, and because none of them live the typical life of a housewife. Meaning, of course, that Bravo chose not to profile the typical stay at home suburban mom whose days are filled with play dates, laundry, dishes, dinner, etc.
These calls got me thinking. Just what exactly is a real housewife today? Most of the women on the show have jobs, making them working mothers rather than true housewives. But, isn't the term working mother redundant? I certainly think so. Should we just throw these terms out with the bathwater?
To me, mother is a pretty powerful word in itself - one that I always put before terms like professional or full time. I'd be interested to hear your thoughts. What defines the term housewife to you? Is there even a generic description that can be cobbled together?
There are certainly a lot of websites devoted to housewives:
www.retro-housewife.com
www.thefashionablehousewife.com
(I imagine this is the one Bree Van DeCamp visits the most.)
www.hillbillyhousewife.com
www.mrshappyhousewife.com
www.geekyhousewife.com
Wikihow.com even offers these helpful tips in its "How To Be A Good Housewife" section. (Seriously, I am not making this up. Please note I write this with a tinge of sarcasm.)
* Be aware of what your man needs when he comes home.
* Maintaining your appearance, while not essential in being a housewife, does certainly help remind your husband (and yourself) that you are still a woman and not simply a housekeeper.
* Keep the house tidy and pleasant. There is no excuse for your man to come home to a mess, so make friends with your vacuum and feather duster.
It's comments like these that make me feel the need for a new definition of housewife is long overdue!
Please, someone go in and edit these pages!
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