To work or not to work...

This week I had conversations with two separate women, for whom I have so much respect. One is a wonderfully supportive friend, in a similar stage in life. She has been working in a career she likes, but does not love (as I was just a few years ago). She has a passion for animals, but is not quite sure how to pursue that while also bringing in an income. She has been married for a while now and plans to add to her family soon. We got into the discussion that so many woman have at least once in their lives...to work or not too work. So, we both want children, we both have a natural ambition and drive that would classify us in the "Type A personality" class, but we are both a little torn when it comes to the big debate about working as a mother. I, obviously, am planning to work as a mother, as this business is such a huge part of my life, but know that when that day comes I will find myself torn between spending hours at the office or time with my little angel playing on the floor. I have always believed that there has to be a way to have both, as many of the working moms around the world have proven, but I can't imagine how difficult that will be. I can also completely understand the decision to become a stay-at-home-mom, as the older I get, the more I understand what very little time we have with the most important "job" of our life!

My second conversation was with someone I consider to be a new friend, a complete sweetheart, a new mom, who openly shared her experiences with me. This fabulously talented lady has spent years in the industry making her mark. She worked her way through multiple successful careers that many us women would majorly envy - lets just say she spent years writing fabulous fashion stories for a very well known website and has her own TV show about shopping! Okay, now that we are all dying of jealousy...she is just like many of you new mommies out there, facing those same decisions. As we were discussing her new mommy status, she made such a good point, that motherhood is like this secret society where you all have this one major thing in common, your precious little creations that are now the center of your universe.

I realized that no matter who you are, or where you are in your career that motherhood changes everything. I also realized that although I already had so much respect for moms, it is really so much bigger than I can imagine. The balance, the responsibility, the physical demands, the mental exhaustion, the incredible rewards - I don't think anyone can comprehend the true depth of this role until they official become a member! I know 100% that I can not wait until the day comes that I will have a little RuffleButt of my own and officially join this club, but in the meantime, I will continue to have an indescribable amount of respect for the mothers of this world!