Motherhood and Society

The whole concept of my blog is the balance of work and family life, of having one hat on by day and wearing another at night. But there are not distinct roles. One doesn't exist for 8 hours and be put aside for the remainder of the day. And motherhood isn't set aside during the 8 or so hours I am a lawyer, either. And lately it seems that the two are intertwining but not in the way one would expect. I haven't had a lot of sick children or daycare issues or bringing kids to work. I haven't had to work on cases that hit to close to home. Instead, lately I've realized more and more that my opinions and views as a mother, wife, and a woman in general do matter more in my life as a lawyer that I would ever have thought during law school. I realize that I am beginning to view the cases I see and the work I'm involved with the eyes of what type of world I want my children to grow up in. Even more than that, I am realizing that there are certain opinions that I hold strongly on a personal level, due to the opinions and beliefs I want my children raised to uphold, that I need to express more openly at work. These are the things you do not learn in law school. Over the last several months, I have realized that I need to become more proactive about trying to impress to the world around me things I feel strongly about. Too long I have become complacent with status quo and not stood firmly in things I believe strongly about. These are not the actions I would want my children to do. And, thus, this is not how I should behave either. These are not large issues, these are small things that mostly go unnoticed to most people. They are not, though, any less important. Perhaps it was the recent boycotting by 300 or so nursing mothers in a Georgia town that somehow tried to outlaw nursing your child over a certain age by County Ordinance that was the jumpstart to my realization to stand up more for what I believe in. Perhaps it was just one of many things. Nevertheless, I feel motivated now to stand up for my opinions much more fervently.Unfortunately, I heard of it too late to to stand beside those women with them. If I had heard of it before, though, I would gladly have taken a vacation day and my own daughter down to show my support. Nursing is something I believe strongly in. Very strongly. As in still nursing a 20 month old strongly. World Health Organization recommends it until 2 years of age. Recently, my daughter has shown indications of possible weaning soon but if she doesn't wean on her own, I don't have a problem with nursing at the 2 year mark. Literally no one else in my life -close friends, family, or work - agrees with me. But that doesn't matter to me. And it shouldn't matter to me, either. I should stand up for what I believe, regardless of the popularity of the opinion. That's what I'd expect of my children. It's not just nursing in public (which by the way is allowed by state-wide Georgia law) that I have strong opinions about. I have some specific strong opinions and stances on other topics/issues/situations that have come up in my professional world lately. It's time to take a stand when something offensive is said/done, whether it is an personal attack or and inadvertent comment. Maybe it is easiest to say all of this here, on a blog that I doubt anyone reads anyway. But maybe, just maybe if I post this on this blog, post a link on facebook and then do what I say I believe when the next situation arises, perhaps then I'll have some hope of at least imparting upon my world severe food for thought, if not an actual change. So be it then! Let this Lawyer by Day and Mommy by Night truly show the world that I am giving my children the example in all situations of what I'd want them to say and how I'd want them to act. Until later...

-Lawyer by Day and Mommy by Night