The Journey Begins

After spending 5 years as a stay-at-home mom, I returned to the workplace in October 2009.  I embraced the idea of going back to work, but the last 18 months have been spent in the wrong jobs.  When an opportunity with my dream company presented itself, I jumped all over it.  As I went through my first phone interview, I learned the travel portion was more extensive than I realized.  I was torn between what I really wanted to do career-wise and the guilt of being away from my children. 

My husband and I had many conversations as I advanced to the next round of interviews.  He was 100% in favor of the position.  As I was hesitant, he was insistent.  But I was still plagued with thoughts of how my children would be affected by my absence.  I traveled some with my previous position, but not nearly as much as this one would require.  I was also projecting my guilt through my perception of what others might be thinking.  Most of my friends are stay-at-home moms.  I was really concerned about looking selfish.  I am a confident person, but I am not immune to the effects of judgment.  When I revealed that I wanted the position, my friends rallied.  I am sure many of them would not make the same decision in my position, but they did offer support.

So after a quite a harrowing interview process, I got the job.  And the real work begins....

When preparing for the position, I searched on-line for resources for traveling moms.  I found articles describing how to make things more comfortable for a mom missing her kids.  That's definitely important to me, but more important is having a presence in my home for my children when I'm not physically there.  I'm hoping this blog can bring together ideas for moms in my situation.  My vision is to ultimately serve as a resource for moms who travel for business, and I will need help from other traveling mamas in the form of tips, tales, and suggestions.  I will share my tales from the road and what we do to make things work in my family.  My intention is to be candid and honest about when things don't work. 

Now for the rules...  I have zero tolerance for criticism on this blog.  My decision to take this job was not taken lightly, and I have intentionally not written about my beliefs regarding working moms because I do not want to alienate my fellow moms who make different choices than me.  I believe it is every woman's right to decide what is best for her family, and criticism of anyone (full-time moms or moms working at/out of the home) will not be tolerated here.

So now I give you your Action Item for this post:  Find mamas who travel for work and are interested in sharing tips for staying virtually hands-on with their children.  Get them to follow this blog.  

Next blog....  How the Red family prepares...

XOX-- Mama Red