Every working mom would love to have a crystal ball in order to see how their choices today will eventually affect their children in the future. Well thankfully I can offer you that crystal ball!
I had the pleasure of interviewing my two young-adult children, Kelly Goldberg and Brendan Goldberg, about what it’s been like having a working mom, how my choice to work has affected each of them, and the advice they would give to working moms who might be struggling with mom guilt.
Here are the highlights from this interview:
- Kelly is 29 years old – she works as a corporate financial analyst for a major healthcare organization
- Brendan is 26 years old – he is a software engineer for Crossfit
- They moved out of the house in October of 2020 and moved in together into an apartment in Brooklyn
- They both agree that being raised by a working mom has made them independent, especially during the period of time where I was a single working mom
- They both say that have a good work ethic because of me
- They share their earliest memories of having a working mom
- Kelly’s earliest memory was when I was working at Deloitte and brought her and her playpen to work one day because I needed to work extra hours during tax season
- Brendan’s earliest memory was when I was working at home and hyper focused on whatever project I was working on
- Neither one of them believe it was a big deal going to a babysitter when they were younger
- Kelly shares that having a CPA for a mom did affect her choices for college, which is why she chose a finance career
- Brendan shares that he fell in love with his career choice in high school but that my accounting background has led him to make better choices financially
- They both appreciate that the discussion of money was a part of our relationship as they were growing up
- Neither one of them had friends whose moms were stay at home moms
- We discuss how grateful I was to be a working mom when I went through my divorce because I was able to keep stability for them and our life together, especially being able to afford to buy their dad out of the house
- Brendan now sees that my rule about delayed gratification when he was younger has helped him as young adult
- Kelly now sees that my normal rules regarding curfews and the choice of friends has also helped her make better choices
- I shared a few of the things that I felt guilty about and asked each of them if they even remember any of those things
- They both believe that having a working mom gave them independence in ways that having a stay at home probably wouldn’t have
- They offer advice to empty nest accountant moms
- We discuss how mothers can parent their young adult children
- We talk about how as a working mother, you have the opportunity to be vulnerable with your children, which can then lay the groundwork for your children to open up to you
- Kelly mentions how being the daughter of a working mom has helped her to be financially independent, knowing that she doesn’t need to rely on a man
- They both appreciate that I don’t hover over the them, but that I am there to listen and support them in anyway that I can