Comments on: Once In A Lifetime

By: Rebecca Hanover

Rebecca Hanover — Wed, 25 Jul 2012 03:11:07 +0000

Gale, I had the same thoughts as you – and I also worry that, as one of the few women who can be an “example” to others, she’s brushing off maternity leave in a way that’s not great for all the working moms out there. My HOPE is that she’s said this to ensure Yahoo employees & shareholders that she absolutely will be “in” the game, but that she actually does plan to spend some time just her and her baby. With the right help, I suppose it’s possible she can get all the chore parts of maternity leave covered and enjoy the bonding time, while also working. (Though honestly, it took a month before I even felt not nauseous enough to do ANYTHING, much less check email or run a company!)

Another thought: Yes, this may be a once-in-a-lifetime experience, but so is working at Google as the 20th employee, staying there 13 years as a VP and making $300 million from it! Will this be all it’s cracked up to be? If she turns that company around, she’ll go down in history… though the odds of that are very low.

By: shelby

shelby — Tue, 24 Jul 2012 17:09:36 +0000

All of the talk about work/life balance continues….there’s no right answer…just the right answer for each of us. I’m about to experience (Lord willing) my first maternity leave and I’m wondering – Will I love it? Will I be bored? Will I miss my full-time work? How much will I still want/be able to do – charity or paid work? It’s, as you say, a once in a lifetime (or a few in a lifetime) opportunity…and I wouldn’t want to miss it. I wouldn’t want to miss the recuperation period from the trauma of delivery, the bonding time with my baby and the mental recuperation from years of pent-up, work-related stress. That being said, I still find myself mentally justifying the time off with thoughts about how my company will benefit from my rejuvenation.

By: BigLittleWolf

BigLittleWolf — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 18:06:36 +0000

It’s a fascinating discussion, isn’t it?

And you’re right. No two mothers are alike. But I will admit that during both my maternity leaves, I worked. Not my usual hours (and I wasn’t paid), but as much as anything, because I would have gone nuts if I hadn’t. So while my first two weeks or so may have been utterly without thought to my job, beyond that, the 10 or so hours I worked (and more as I approached the end of the leave, best I recall) were my great leveler…

By: anne

anne — Fri, 20 Jul 2012 01:53:04 +0000

I couldn’t agree more. Except for the part about women NOT being questioned when they dial back on career for the sake of family/having a kid. I have at least one friend who’s experienced this, and it hurt her greatly. But I do agree that maternity leave is odd and special and FAST, and like you, I’m afraid she won’t be able to savor it.