Mothers, whether good or bad, have more influence over our lives than any other single person we encounter, especially when it comes to our choice of career. And, as any mother knows, having children can completely alter a woman’s career trajectory. In honor of all the mothers who have encouraged, inspired, and advised their adult children, and in recognition of all moms with young kids who are currently balancing work and family, Professional Detours is proud to bring you a collection of thoughts about and by moms from all walks of life.
Mothers are our first teachers, instructing us about our world and our place in it. Sometimes they advise us directly:
Imagine my surprise when, after a lifetime of teaching me to keep personal things to myself, Mom insisted my drawings were the start of a comic strip for millions of people to enjoy.
Cathy Guisewite
Mom and Pop were proud of my popularity, but from their point of view, show business was no way to make a living.
Ethel Merman
[My mother] never had really tried to guide my career or really had any say in my life as an adult, but this was the one time she said she would never speak to me again if I quit acting.
Mark Ruffalo
And sometimes they lead by example:
Even when she didn't have a paid job, Mom did volunteer work and was involved in the church, and I got to see her interacting with other adults and using her mind and her skills in creative ways.
Jamie Lynn Dunston
I think one of the things that's made the biggest impact on me is what my mom compromised on in order to balance her professional career with being a mom: music…She said when we were little, when she got home from work in the evening she had to choose between practicing and spending time with us, and time with the kids won every time.
Elia Nelson Desjardins
My mother was a great example for me. She was a working mother with a good career.
Andrea Jung
My mom was a source of strength. She showed me by example that women, regardless of how difficult life may get, can do it all.
Gloria Estefan
Mothers support us in our career choices, even when times get tough:
My mom has a good way of engaging me in a conversation about the choices I make, listening, being objective and open-minded, and respecting those choices so long as they don't put me in danger.
Casey Affleck
My mom is definitely my rock.
Alicia Keys
When I was 10 or 11, my mom was the one out there catching passes for me. She was my prime receiver.
Joe Theismann
They teach us important life lessons:
My mom is always telling me it takes a long time to get to the top, but a short time to get to the bottom.
Miley Cyrus
My mom never taught me to be waiting for some prince on a white horse to swipe me off my feet.
Tyra Banks
My mom always said that there would be haters. Not everyone can love ya.
Joel Madden
And they make sacrifices for us:
My mom and my dad wanted my brother and I to have a better life, you know, better education, better jobs. It was probably harder, much, much harder, for my parents. When you're a kid, you can learn a language much more easily; I learned English in less than a year.
Mila Kunis
For me, already being part of a single parent household and knowing it was just me and my mom, you'd would wake up times and hope that the next day you'd be able to be alongside your mother because she was out trying to make sure that I was taken care of. But all I cared about was her being home.
LeBron James
And even if we lose them, their legacy lives on:
No one was more important than my mom and dad. I know they are watching from a place up in heaven here today to make sure all their kids are doing good.
Eddie Murray
Sometimes our mothers’ careers have a profound impact on our upbringing:
My mom is the reason that I'm a nurse today. She is the best nurse I know. She taught me to work hard and do work that means something to you.
Megan Downey Dunston
My mom was a pianist, and she taught piano out of her house. I was just so excited, being a little kid and having all these other kids come to my house twice a week. I thought it was a big party.
Vanessa Carlton
My mom is two people to me. She's my mom number one, and then she's this lady most comedians know as being a legendary owner of a nightclub that's responsible for starting a lot of heavy careers.
Pauly Shore
But moms know that having kids can have just as strong an impact on their careers as well. After all, being a mother is challenging enough even without outside work:
There is nothing better than being a parent. It is the most challenging job one could ever ask for. I love being a mom and I love being a friend to my children as well.
Marlee Matlin
There is nothing like becoming a mom to fill you with fear.
Arianna Huffington
And finding balance between work and family is challenging, even at the best of times:
Being a working mom is not easy. You have to be willing to screw up at every level.
Jami Gertz
When you become a mom you just learn how to function sleep deprived and you do get used to it. I came back to work when Finley was three months old and the first few months were rough. Then somehow you learn to exist on no sleep and now when he does upon occasion sleep through the night, which is like a full six hours, you're pretty sure he's suffocating. So you don't sleep anyway.
Holly Marie Combs
I'm a mother, I'm a journalist, I'm an American; I'm all of those things, and it really complicates your job when you have all these things come into play.
Paula Zahn
Kids can change your perspective on everything:
Becoming a mom put "working" and "career" into perspective for me and helped me to be a hard worker to be able to take care of my daughter but not a workaholic and miss out on my daughter.
Leslie Kohli
It's the best thing ever - I love being a mom. This is my only child. My career was a priority earlier in my life, but now my son is definitely the priority.
Stephanie Mills
Before I was a mom I used to think that parents who worried about their kids watching MTV were just clueless. Now that I'm a mom, I see what the fuss was all about!
Martha Quinn
But it can also fill us with a confidence we never thought we’d have:
I know how to do anything, I'm a mom.
Roseanne Barr Arnold
Now you tell us: how has your Mom influenced your life and career choices? If you have kids, how have they influenced your career path? Post a comment and weigh in!
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