Been There, Done That by Al Roker Deborah Roberts & Laura Morton

Author:Al Roker Deborah Roberts & Laura Morton
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group
Published: 2015-11-09T16:00:00+00:00

7

Actions Speak Louder Than Words

DEBORAH

CEO of the Home

I think it’s fair to say that women are generally the emotional glue that holds a household together. And most of us would say we are the logistical support too. With no disrespect to our mates, if our homes were a business, we’d be in charge. You may as well call us the CEO!

Now, to be fair, I have a fabulous, capable co-CEO in Al. He often catches a glitch in the kids’ schedules before I do. But even he would admit—if he’s smart—that the brunt of our day-to-day life falls on my shoulders. Ask any woman, from any walk of life, and she’ll tell you that’s usually the way it goes. Whenever I get together with a girlfriend, we inevitably land on the subject of how stressed we are. Though most of my friends have spouses who pitch in, one complains how her husband aspires to do as little as possible around the house. He wouldn’t begin to know where the pancake griddle is, what time school lets out or where their child’s best friend lives. Thankfully, I don’t have that situation. (Well, at least Al knows where to find the pots and pans!) But seriously, I am truly blessed to have a husband who not only looks forward to being home with the family but also cooks most of our meals and is deeply involved in the kids’ lives (sometimes a little too much).

Even so, if Nicky forgot his lunch or Leila’s frantic because she left her PE clothes on the bench in our hallway, Al isn’t fielding that call at work.

I am.

If Nicky is throwing up at school or the piano teacher can’t make it, guess who races to the school or reschedules the lesson? You got it.

Me.

Even if I’m in a Texas jail about to roll on an interview with an accused murderer, somehow I’m the one who gets that call from home about how someone’s day is unraveling. Somehow everyone at my house seems to think that Al’s work couldn’t possibly be disturbed. Maybe it’s hard to imagine phoning the man you’re watching on TV warn the country of an impending nor’easter about missing gym clothes or a dentist appointment after school. Yet there seems to be an assumption that men are busy and unavailable but women . . . moms . . . not so much. I don’t think this situation is unique to our home so much as it is a social stereotype that all moms face.

Make no mistake—I love it when Leila confides in me about things going on in her personal life, whether it’s about a problem at school with one of her teachers or how her once-close friend has changed and drifted away. We moms are often privy to shared moments of tenderness with our children that dads miss out on. But we also carry a lot of the burden in child-rearing, which can leave us vulnerable. If you are a working mom, you are probably weighted down by the details in the day to day.

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