Moms vs. CEOs

In the Tree House: Moms vs. CEOs

By: Samantha S Daviss

It dawned on me the other day that as a mother I do more before 9am than a CEO of a multi-national corporation does before he has his first cup of coffee in his high rise office overlooking Central Park.

I would pay good money to see a CEO balance and manage half the stuff a mother has to balance and manage on a daily basis, without loosing his cool (or having a cocktail before noon).

A normal day is to get the oldest up and ready for school, while making his breakfast and emptying out the dishwasher for the first of three loads that will occur that day. Then heading in to the laundry room to make sure all the clothes are dried and folded and put away where they belong. Then somewhere in there the little one gets up and is immediately ready for his breakfast, after changing his dirty diaper.

So while he is eating his breakfast in his hi-chair, I manage to start the coffee pot, so I can savor my cup of coffee while running out the door to take the oldest to school. But in the meantime, I am running back to my room to make the bed, start the laundry, pick out my clothes for work that day, and plug in my hot rollers.

Then moments later the sounds of the third set of feet sneak around the corner, wanting his sippy cup of milk and breakfast. So his diaper is removed, where again the potty training commences for that day, then a fresh pull-up is put on him. And he too is set in his chair for his breakfast. All the while, I am reminding the oldest if he brushed his teeth, brushed his hair, made his bed.

Then once everyone is done, we load up in the car to take Big Bubba to school for the day. And on the way home I manage to make a phone call to the doctor to schedule the youngest’s regular check up; return the phone call from the dentist verifying that we will all be at the dentist appointment that afternoon; then send myself an email to call the vet to make an appointment and to call the plumber for the leaky faucet.

And at this point in my day it’s only 8am. So we have many, many more hours to go. Once Bubba is dropped off then the babies and I head home to enjoy our ritualistic morning walk, so mommy can try to have a little personal time and lose some of the baby weight still looming on her bones.

After the walk we get home and mommy finishes up all the laundry that is slowly piling up; quickly changes into her work clothes, and readies the babies for their days.

Then once in the car, I think maybe I get to sit and relax and enjoy some alone time and a little music on the way to work; but then my reminder alarm goes off that I need to call the plumber and the vet. But in between those calls, the husband calls and reminds me to run by the dry cleaners to pick up his clothes for work. So I guess so much for a relaxing ride to work.

Then I realize that I have about three pending work phone calls that need to be made before I actually step foot in the office, so as I am unloading from the car and riding the elevator up to the office, I am still doing work.

And look…it’s only 9:30am….whewwww. And this doesn’t include the list I have made for myself to do at lunch to round out the family’s needs for the rest of the week, or the birthday parties on the weekend, or the out of town plans we may have coming up.

So take that multi-national CEO of one of the largest corporations America has to offer…I’d like to see you keep up with M.O.M.

The joys of raising kids, working, being independent and self-reliant are all worth it…if you can do it with a smile. And that’s just what I do…I take it all with a grain of salt. I wouldn’t know what to do with myself if I actually did get to slow down.