Thinking of a mother as a CEO adds to her credibility as a highly significant worker in our world. What are her functions and how do we applaud them.
According to Wikipedia a chief executive officer (CEO) describes the position of the most senior corporate officer, executive, leader or administrator in charge of managing an organization.
Thinking in those terms mothers often fit the bill. The organization is the family and she is in charge of multiple functions that she should be proud of and consider an enormous job that deserves tremendous recognition.
Looking at motherhood from that perspective, if the mother works outside her home as a CEO of an organization or another job, she has a dual role. Being CEO of a family takes a great deal of energy, efficiency, devotion, and knowledge. What are a mother’s main tasks and goals that we as a thriving community should be appreciably aware of and be prepared to affirm and support?
1.The CEO-Mother plans all the schedules and routines of her children, the participants in her family organization. This may include their education, extra-curricular activities, social events, meals, clothes and morning and bedtime rituals. Whether she’s a stay-at-home mother or a working mother this is a full time job. The more children of course the more complications to keep things running smoothly.
2.The CEO-Mother is accomplished in understanding child development so she knows what to expect of each child in her care. This requires a great deal of reading and experience as the years roll by as transitions are made from one developmental level to another. The CEO-Mother of an infant needs a whole different skill set from that of a parent of a primary school age or teenage kid.
3.The CEO-Mother who holds a full or part time job outside of the home has to manage a juggling act that never ceases. She bears the guilt of not always being there when needed and learns to manage her staff, the multiple substitute caretakers.
4.Here is yet another skill, choosing alternative caretakers. She must be adept at interviewing, observing, and assessing the caretakers’ abilities and kindness — not an easy task. If the caretaker has a problem and can’t make it to the home on occasion, the CEO-Mother needs to also provide for back-ups.
5.Taking care of the upkeep of a household from the building itself to the cleaning and maintenance of daily living quarters requires yet further aptitude. She probably needs to assess the hiring of additional staff to take care of matters such as cleaning, plumbing, and other various utilities.
6.Finally and most importantly, the CEO-Mother is the central loving, devoted, person who minds the children’s growth and development. She needs to find the time to listen, nurture, teach problem solving, and be available at a moment’s notice for unexpected events such as snow days, common illnesses, homework projects, and daily troubles the children may bring to her for advice and support.
We study the methods and approaches of the CEOs of large organizations but need to commend and support the everyday mother who runs the family organization that gives life it’s ultimate meaning. In my research of working mothers, there’s nothing more significant and important to them than their kids!
Laurie Hollman, Ph.D., is a psychoanalyst and author of Unlocking Parental Intelligence: Finding Meaning in Your Child’s Behavior found on Amazon and wherever books are sold. Read more insights and parental guidance on her website: www.lauriehollmanphd.com.
Originally published at medium.com