Much is written about the “mommy wars” – the surprising (to me anyway) instances of women insulting, offending and sometimes outright attacking others for the choices they make in how they raise and support their families. This may not be a recent development but I never noticed it when I was working and raising little kids at the same time. Maybe I was just too busy but sometimes I wonder if it’s really a “thing” at all or is the controversy mostly a manufactured rift that is at least exaggerated, and certainly exploited, by popular (aka social) media.

As I’m past the years of making the very difficult decisions between staying home and/or working, maybe I don’t have a stake in this issue but I do have an interest. I am fortunate to often be in the company of four generations of my family and it’s very interesting to compare how three of these generations (so far!) have handled motherhood.

My mother raised a big crew of kids and she did not “work outside the home” for many years. She somehow kept us all on track while also having a great and very active life of her own.  I have worked all of my life and played that non-stop juggling game between work and home and I enjoyed it, though with some struggles and guilt.

My daughter is now a wonderful young mother, and from the beginning she has been home with her two little people while also dedicating time to building a business that she can run from home. I love to see the new opportunities for young parents that exist, in part, due to the internet, social media and the growth of entrepreneurial thinking.

Let me recognize that the three of us have all been blessed with healthy kids and husbands who support our decisions.  Sometimes situations are really hard, but we all make the best choices we can. No matter which path a family follows, there are enough associated challenges, joys and apparently criticisms, to go around!

Some things never change – we all have to pick a path, take our hits and carry on! Here’s to all the moms and dads out there who are doing the one thing I hope all can agree is the most important job of all – loving our kids right!!! One more thing to add – Let’s be kind to each other while we’re at it!