How-To Be A Mom In 2024

A is for Adversity

The True Essence of Motherhood in 2024: Challenges and Joys

Jen Banks dives into the life of a mother approaching Mother's Day, discussing the unpredictability and demanding nature of motherhood in 2024. It humorously outlines a 'job description*' for being a mom, emphasizing the lack of tangible benefits and the never-ending responsibilities, from executive support to janitorial duties, without any financial compensation. Jen encourages mothers to engage in self-care and lean on their support systems to manage the overwhelming task of motherhood. She also touches upon her personal life, mentioning an upcoming book writing project titled 'Let Yourself Bloom' and the importance of taking care of oneself. The episode is intended to uplift and recognize the invaluable, often underappreciated work mothers do, highlighting the extraordinary, yet challenging aspects of motherhood.

*Adapted from 'A Mom Job Description by Abby Chipman'

00:00 Welcome and Personal Updates
00:53 The Joy of Essential Oils and Self-Care
01:16 Embarking on a Book Writing Adventure
02:02 The Ultimate Guide to Being a Mom in 2024
02:21 The Unspoken Challenges of Motherhood
09:20 Navigating Motherhood with Grace and Self-Care
11:01 Closing Thoughts and Gratitude

#MotherhoodJourney #PodcastCommunity #EmpoweredMoms #AuthorLife #SelfCareSunday #PodcastRecommendation #MomLifeBalance #InspiringWomen

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Title: "Embracing Motherhood: A Journey of Self-Care and Resilience"

Body:
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Hey there, happy Thursday! You know what this means, we are almost to the weekend. I was just barely doing laundry and it caught me off guard because I was folding a shirt that I had worn yesterday. And normally my laundry is a three week turnaround ish, and so I am realizing that if I want to wear something again really soon, I should leave it towards the end of my rotation so that it can just be right there when I'm ready.

Today has been very relaxing for me. A friend offered to give me an essential oils massage. She's practicing giving these and for sure I took her up on that. She said every mom needs a massage. So, this is for you. I'm sure you need to hear this. Go book yourself a massage or have your partner give you one. You deserve one.

I am getting so excited because I write my book the last week of this month. Most people say, Oh yeah, I'm going to write a book this year or, Oh yeah, I've been working on a book, but no, I'm writing my book in a week, the last week of this month. So when I met this, Publisher, I learned that she does these author adventures and also I didn't have to have a manuscript and go find a publisher. She just took me on and I haven't written a word. So, okay, that's a lie. I've also worked on it here and there since I met with her and we've been brainstorming and gathering ingredients, but the bulk of the book will be written in one week and then it'll be published in September. So stay tuned. It's going to be called Let Yourself Bloom.

So as I'm preparing for that, I decided to do this episode and let's consider it the Mother's Day episode because I titled it, How to Be a Mom in 2024. It is a job for sure. And not to say that there's not joy in it because there's joy in jobs. There's other ways to look at it too, but I feel like I was blindsided. I had no idea what I was getting myself into. And not that there's any way to really prepare to be a mom, but I just feel like I saw the highlight reel of everyone's experience and nobody really told me what to expect. And maybe they weren't talking about it, or maybe they were just sharing it with their peers and not someone as young as I was at the time, but I feel like there was a lot more that could have been said to prepare for motherhood, but I digress.

### The Realities of Motherhood in 2024

This is where we're at and we're making it work. And so here is how to be a mom in 2024. Be sure to expect challenging permanent work in an unstable and unpredictable environment with limited access to basic services. You must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work. Variable hours in stressful and often ambiguous conditions, which will include evenings and weekends, and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel is required, including trips to primitive campsites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in faraway cities. Full planning and coordination of travel for all team members will be your responsibility. Travel expenses are not reimbursed. Executive courier and chauffeur duties are also required. Time off must be requested and approved in advance, with the caveat that during said time off, You remain on call around the clock.

### Being a Superhero Mom

Your responsibilities are virtually unlimited, but they include providing high-level executive support through schedule management, purchase approvals while maintaining budget and peace, as well as event planning, which often requires coordination with external stakeholders. You must be able to pivot away from planned schedule at a moment's notice and effectively communicate changes to team. You must mentally maintain the company calendar, list of inventory shortages, pre-scheduled days off, doctor, dentist, therapy appointments, gift ideas, meal plans for the week, and precise locations of important items. You must manage employee use of company technology, including monitoring consumption, limiting access, and responding to a high volume of requests for access.

### The Unsung Heroism of Motherhood

You must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair and stuck zippers. You must be prepared to provide learning and development opportunities in multiple settings and formats with minimal attention spans. Responsibilities also include any janitorial work throughout the facility and meeting the nutritional needs of the team. You are expected to exhibit patience and mental strength to read the same material multiple times a day. Physical stamina to keep up with energetic team members for the entire day. Ability to physically and mentally multitask, often with only one hand. Strong negotiation skills and ability to maintain a professional manner and remain calm while experiencing multiple priorities, stress, sleep deprivation, and sensory overload.

### Motherhood: An Unpaid Full-Time Job

Meditation skills are preferred. Money management skills are also required. In this position, there is virtually no possibility for advancement and promotion. Your job is to remain in the same position for years without complaining, constantly retraining, and updating your skills so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you. Your team will likely offer minimal feedback related to your performance. Oh yeah, and on the job training is recommended on a continually exhausting basis for everything from process improvements to product development to communication tools, keeping up with training will be at your discretion, and finding training materials is solely your responsibility.

### The Invaluable Rewards of Motherhood

Be aware that this is a volunteer, unpaid, full-time job. After a number of years, your team will be requesting payments from you. Raises and bonuses will be expected, and a balloon payment is due at the age of 18. When you die, you give them whatever is left, and you will be happy to do so. Benefits of this job include health insurance. None. Dental. None. Disability. None. Retirement or pension? None. Tuition reimbursement? None. Paid holidays? None. Sick leave? None. Stock options? None. Personal growth opportunities, though, are limitless, and hugs? Free for life. It's hard to put a price tag on all of this, but salary.com estimates upwards of $200,000 annually if mothers were to be paid. Can you imagine? Thank you for doing a thankless job, truly.

### Celebrating the Superheroes Among Us

I know this isn't joking, but really, so much is required, expected, asked of, needed, if you are going to truly be a mother. And it's easy to get bogged down if we dwell on that on a day-to-day basis, but we are doing it. The truly, the only explanation is that we're superheroes, right? And if nobody else tells you this Mother's Day, you are doing a great job. Just as you are, you're enough. I see you, and I'm right there with you in the trenches. We got this.

We all feel the weight of motherhood in different ways, and we all carry that weight differently. Some of us have better support systems than others, and others have gotten into a good rhythm and routine. But with every life circumstance, things change. We have to find a new normal. We have another child. We move. We have a health condition. It is tough. And like I was talking about earlier, it's a 24/7 job. It really is hard to feel respite and find joy in the journey.

### Finding Joy in the Journey

But if we collect little moments along the way that bring us joy or we focus on the positive and what's to come, if we find ways to incorporate daily self-care so that we don't feel like we have to escape our lives, but we can tackle it head-on and be okay in the day-to-day, that will help. I remember feeling like my children were extensions of me. They were limbs, as if it were, and it was hard to leave. But as I slowly came back to myself and figured out ways to incorporate those self-care moments, I was much more full and able to bring that version of me back into motherhood.

I hope you can ask a partner or family member or someone to step in if you truly need that help. I've heard before to ask for support, not for permission. So, I encourage you to find ways to take care of yourself so that you can show up for motherhood. I was going to say so that you can be equal to the task of motherhood, but I don't feel like we'll ever be equal to the task of motherhood. It is very daunting. It's very huge. It is overwhelming if we let it, but if we lean on other people and take it day by day and not get too bogged down in the heart of it, we can find the joy in it.

Thank you as always to Blane from Ride the Wave Media for the executive production of this episode and podcast. Remember to leave a review if you found it helpful and share it with a friend. Follow me on Instagram at AS for Adversity and stay caught up with all things that are happening here.

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