Working Moms Inspiration from Oprah's O You!
“ Your attitude will determine your altitude.”
—Samantha Ettus
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8 Essential Steps to Raising Confident Girls
by Samantha Ettus
Girls today are straddling two worlds – one in which nobody blinks an eye upon seeing a woman run for office and one in which girls are being sexualized at a younger and younger age. How do we raise our girls to believe in their full potential when their most common role model is a Disney princess?
In celebration of the first International Day of the Girl, it’s a great time to think about how to increase the self-esteem of the girls in your own home. Here are the key steps:
1. Tell Her You Believe in Her
When I hosted my internet talk show, I interviewed 75 guests from Al Roker to Dylan Lauren. All were super successful in dramatically different fields and all had one thing in common – parents who told them repeatedly that they could achieve anything they set their minds to. Give your daughter this message – and repeat it.
2. Get Her Outside
Giving your daughter the comfort and skills to play outdoors will instill a greater sense of her body as a source of strength and more on Forbes…
The Brutal Results of 72 Hours of Uninterrupted Motherhood
by Samantha EttusIn many ways I have a life with great balance; almost every day I spend a certain part of my day working and I spend most of the rest of my time momming. I also have a husband who works and is an involved dad, so I rarely feel like I am momming alone.
Then this past weekend my husband took our oldest child on a father-daughter camping trip and I stayed behind with our four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son. As a working mom, I had anticipated the long weekend with excitement. It would be a chance to live the other life – a life where I would focus exclusively on my kids with no work, no spouse and no sitter in sight. It would be enjoyable, full of love and laughs.
The reality was that in just 72 hours I went from being the mom I always strive to be to the mom I never want to be. The imbalance seemed to kill my normal disposition, my self-control and my patience. I came undone. More on Forbes…
When You’re the Mom They’re Laughing At
by Samantha Ettus
Fresh from landing on The New York Times Best Seller list, I interviewed Alicia Ybarbo and Mary Ann Zoellner, two of the four authors of the new humor book rocking the mommy world one laugh at a time. Alicia and Mary Ann are Sh*tty Moms by night and TODAY Show producers by day.
Describe a Sh*tty Mom.
Mary Ann: It’s mothering with 40 percent of the effort. It is a Mom who tries her best but manages to still mess up most of the time.Alicia: We’re all Sh*tty Moms at one point or another. From dropping a ball at work, at home, or both, sometimes you just can’t win at being mom.
Can you be a great mom and a Sh*tty Mom?
Mary Ann: Of course! Most Sh*tty Moms are more on Forbes…
Pregnant? 6 Steps to Ensure Your Baby Has an Involved Dad
by Samantha EttusI have yet to see a successful working and married mom with a husband who doesn’t contribute. Here are six steps to guarantee that you and your husband are partners on the parenting adventure from the beginning:
1. Do the Doctor Visits Together
Sure it’s your body but it is your (collective) baby. So there is every reason he should be at all of the pre-birth doctor visits. Schedule them around both of your schedules and make sure he falls in love with the baby from the very first time he sees more on Forbes…
Does the Wage Gap Start in Kindergarten?
by Samantha Ettus
Last week was the end of year Parent’s Day at pre-school. The teachers playfully interviewed each four year old with a few questions including: “What does your Mommy do while you are at school?” and “What does your Daddy do while you are at school?” I had a work event so my husband attended for both of us and he called me when it was over. He was disturbed.
He reported that the answers for what the dads do were almost unanimously: “Goes to work” and the answers for what the moms do during school were: “Goes to yoga. Meets her friend for lunch. Shops.”
One day later my oldest daughter’s Kindergarten yearbook arrived in the mail. It is a beautiful book with a page devoted to more on Forbes…
Today: My Unavoidable Life and Work War
by Samantha Ettus
Every working parent has one – that day when their home life and professional life are on an unstoppable collision course. In the past, I have profiled other women’s stories of professional/personal collisions. Mine comes today.Because I missed my daughter’s Kindergarten fall play for a prior work commitment, I had her spring play etched in stone. Thursday, May 31. When my friend Tory Johnson called a few months ago to ask if I could speak at her Spark & Hustle conference on May 31st, I immediately responded, “School play!” Then I took a closer look and realized that the play was in the afternoon and the speaking engagement was in the morning. So, I agreed to speak at Spark & Hustle at 10am.
I was still uncomfortable that I had touched the pristine school play day. And even with the two plus hours between the conference and the play, I felt anxious about Los Angeles traffic and any unexpected delays. But every time that thought popped up, I quickly put it more on Forbes…
