Nothing like motherhood to change your perspective

It was about 3 days into being a mom that I thought, “How could I have ever asked a mom to go to a PTO meeting!?”

I laugh at myself now because I was clearly not inviting any newly postpartum parents to an event, but that moment was the start of a whole new perspective on my work – and life. 

I spent a large part of my career working in Baltimore City Public Schools, supporting children and families. 

And I’ve spent a lot more of my career helping other professionals do that same work in a data-driven way. 

But when I became a parent? WHEW. Nothing prepared me for that. 

I have never felt as overwhelmed as I did the day we brought my daughter home from the hospital. 

And to be honest, my mental health didn’t get much better for a while.

So as I reflected on my life’s work in early motherhood, I just realized I had been missing such a big part of the picture. 

If the parents/caregivers aren’t okay, it’s really hard for the kids to be. 

As a society – and in smaller ways, as child- and family-serving professionals – we need to do a whole lot more to support families. 

Of course, I still think family engagement is still critical for children’s learning and well-being. That hasn’t changed. 

But I think a lot more holistically now about how we can help families be in a place where they CAN engage more often and more deeply. 

For me, that’s started with helping other moms.