I love when moms are honest about how hard it is to juggle the needs of everyone in their lives, including themselves. Whether we stay home with our kids or work, we feel pressure to be perfect. That’s why I’m excited to read the new book, “Wonder Women: Sex, Power, and the Quest for Perfection,” by Debora Spar, President of Barnard College and mother of three. Every woman’s life and circumstances are unique, but we could all stand to give ourselves a break now and then. Ms. Spar was recently interviewed by The New York Times and I thought I’d share a few of my favorite quotes from the piece in hope that they’ll inspire you:
“I definitely think looking back that there are areas where cutting corners would have helped me be saner. I always remember one moment: I raced home from work, I was putting dinner on the table, and I was racing out the door to go to a PTA meeting. My son, who was all of 8 at the time, said, “Why are you doing this?” I looked at him and said, “It’s very important to me that I go to your school.” He said, “Why?” I said, “Well, I’m part of the community and this is about you and your school.” And he said, “I want you home.” It was one of those moments. I realized I was trying to be a perfect community member on top of being a professional and a mother, and I couldn’t do it all. I stopped going to PTA meetings after that.”
“I’ve taken some words of wisdom from my mother: Keep your powder dry. Pick your battles wisely. I try to be easy to get along with. I’m not aggressive or confrontational by nature. So when something’s important, I’ll fight for it and I’ll fight hard, but I don’t do it very often. In my last job, at Harvard Business School, I was known for speaking my mind more than most, but not every day.”