Stay-At-Home Moms, Working Again

Terry and I have conducted a National Mom’s Survey and we thank those of you who have taken the time to complete it. The idea was/is to learn more about you, as moms and to design the most resourceful site to fit your needs.

What we learned from a large majority of you is that GUILT is the number one obstacle preventing you from returning to work. In response, we asked Julie Potischman, Butterfly's resident psychotherapist the following:

How can women overcome the guilt associated with leaving their children to go to work each day?

"The expression it takes a village, is so true when it comes to raising children. I can't even begin to tell you how many moms I hear who say they don't work because they don't have help and although the in-laws, for example, have offered, they say they won't leave their kids with their mother-in-laws, or sometimes even their husband and, that they don't trust these people with their children. My advice to them is always the same. Your mother-in law raised the man that you loved enough to marry and have children with, so they obviously did something right. And although they, meaning your mother-in-law, your own mother, husband, and/or babysitter may not be YOU, or do things exactly like you, you need to trust other people, get over yourself and allow your children to bond and learn from someone other than you. Guilt is a real feeling, but not a helpful one when it comes to raising a child and/or taking care of your own needs."

"Whenever I'm feeling guilty about something, I remind myself to take a deep breath and trust whomever I chose to leave my kids with and that it is GOOD for me and my children to trust other people, learn from other people, see things differently and to know and trust that mommy is ALWAYS coming home."

In this survey, FEAR came right after GUILT. The second most popular answer when asked, What is preventing you from returning to work? FEAR. So, again we asked Julie for some advice:

How can women find the courage to return-to-work after having stayed home to raise their children?

"Talk it out with whomever will listen, THEN, feel the fear and do it anyway. Think about the lessons we try to teach our children.Wouldn't we want our children to try to be brave? If we ask that of our children than the least we can do is model it. Remind yourself how good it will feel to look at yourself in the mirror each night, knowing what you accomplished. And, remember that the things we are the most scared of are the things we are the most proud of once mastered."

Heed Julie's advice. I know Terry and I have. Julie reveals more answers to pressing questions that we, as mothers, wrestle with. Her inspiring words of wisdom will be showcased at MyWorkButterfly.com this October. Therapy never came so easy. And, if Julie isn't enough... let Nick Lachey be! Bidding ends October 1st and has already exceeded $5,000 with proceeds going to VH1 Save The Music Foundation. If you'd like to do some more affordable shopping, stop by Butterfly's newly created Butterfly Shop to purchase a Butterfly or Fly Girl tank top created by Lemon. And, join us for our first live Butterfly Moms: Transformation event at Dieci Lifestyle Spa on
October 22nd for a Career Makeover. We'll be giving three women a complete makeover! Register for the event
by October 16th to win! It's that simple! Along with us, experts will be on hand to help you with how to handle the
gap in your resume, resume review, hair, color, image consulting, eyebrows, makeup, weight loss, and fashion (day to night). Space is limited so please reserve your place early! We're planning to take this Transformation event on the road.

Happy Job Hunting. Happy Mom.

Bradi and Terry
Co-founders
Mothers, Wives and Workers
MyWorkButterfly.com
Follow us on twitter@Butterflymoms
Fan us on Facebook (Nicole Richie is a Fan!)
PS. Stay tuned for an amazing video with the women of the Triple Negative Breast Cancer organization, in honor of
Breast Cancer Awareness month this October.