Try not to cry as you watch this beautiful tribute to working parents.
Sunday, September 16, is National Working Parents Day, and to celebrate, we’ve got the perfect video, guaranteed to make you cry a bucket of happy tears.
In it, five working moms are each brought separately into a room, where an interviewer tells them they’re helping conduct “qualitative marketing research.” The interviewer asks the women, “What do you think it’s like being a working mom today?” And it gets real, real fast.
“Tough mentally,” says one mom. “Hectic,” says another. And in perhaps one of the best descriptions of working motherhood I’ve ever heard, one mom says, “I feel like my brain never stops. I’ve got a constant to-do list running through my head, and as I’m going to do something on the to-do list, I see five more things to do.”
Next up, the interviewer asks them how they feel they’re doing as a mom—and not surprisingly, several women say they aren’t “doing enough.”
“I know I’m not a perfect mom,” one confesses. “I know I’m screwing this up. I know I’m not doing this right.”
If you’re a working mom yourself, you won’t be surprised to hear these women judge themselves so harshly. Despite the fact that working moms have been proven to be great employees, we hold ourselves to pretty impossible standards.
In fact, 43 percent of full-time working mothers say they don’t spend enough time with their children, according to a 2017 Pew study. And 62 percent of working mothers believe other parents have an easier time accomplishing everyday tasks according to a Care.com survey.
Well, it’s time to #LetGuiltGo, says Jo Kirchner, the CEO of early childhood education provider Primrose Schools, which produced the powerful video. “Parent guilt has always been a reality, but it feels even more pronounced today as a result of social media," she says. “With an increasing number of two-income families across the U.S., it's important to expose this gap between perception and reality so working parents feel confident about their work-life balance and their ability to raise compassionate, thoughtful children."
That’s exactly the message the interviewer gives the women next: “I’m here to tell you something very important: You are doing a great job.”
That’s when you’ll need to grab a tissue, because next the moms watch messages from their husbands, friends and their own mothers, reassuring them they are amazing moms. We won’t spoil the tear-jerking statements, or the sob-inducing final surprise, so you can enjoy it yourself. Watch below, enjoy and remember: You are doing a great job.
Written by Audrey Goodson Kingo for Working Mother and legally licensed through the Matcha publisher network. Please direct all licensing questions to legal@getmatcha.com.
