Thinkingmama

Of course many moms out there have similar experiences with having to balance kids and home and work and life. But to me, it’s always eye-opening when I hear or read about someone else’s experiences or thoughts about it all. Case in point: If you read technology news regularly, you probably have seen a quote from Charlene Li, an analyst with research company Forrester. I always trusted her analysis, it was sort of like a comfy blanket — I just thought she knew what she was talking about. Maybe it’s because I’ve worked with business and tech news for so long, but I sort of think I know some of the oft-quoted people in those articles. Weird, but there it is.

Anyway, Charlene Li, who I just found out is also co-author of a new book called “Groundswell,” is leaving her job at Forrester, and here’s part of what she wrote in her Forrester blog about why:

Forrester has bent over backwards to be accommodating and flexible, but in the end, I have decided that I need to have greater control over how I allocate my time between work and family. As any working parent knows, there’s no such thing as balance – only a series of compromises on both the work and home front.

It seems almost wrong that she will no longer be dispensing her thoughtful analysis for Forrester. But I don’t know her personal circumstances, nor do I know whether she has plans to strike out on her own eventually. But what she says above rings true: I feel like balance is not achievable. Something always has to give. We can’t focus on too many things or we won’t do any of them well. Oh, there are a few moms who seem like they can do it all and don’t even break a sweat or think twice about it. But for the majority of us working moms, the word balance is an ideal that’s almost always just beyond our reach.

You might have the baby bathed and her hair combed and her new outfit ready, but your own hair needs a trim and you desperately need a manicure and a pedicure. You might make a delicious dinner one night but have to get take-out for the next eight days because you’re just too busy and tired, and your husband’s just as busy and tired. You might be a superstar at work, but your baby might hardly recognize you when you come home. It’s a juggle out there, and lack of time preys on us.