by Jenny Carlson

Created on: November 07, 2008

As a mother I can tell you that I am not just a good mother, I am a great, working mother. I work part-time as a paralegal for a local law firm in Connecticut. While my husband does bring home a majority of the money. I work as supplemental income for our family.

When my daughter was first born, I was going to school part-time to learn paralegal skills and I also had a part-time job. I wore many hats and I was still a darn fine mother to my daughter. She has learned nothing but love from me as well has her dad.

We have the benefit of not needing daycare. While my daughter is not in the day care system she is still around close family that loves her very much. She has an abundance of people that love her. I work anywhere from 20-25 hours part-time per week. When I leave work I put on my mom hat and my wife hat on simultaneously and go home to be there for my family. The work that I did stays at work until the next day.

When I arrive home, I begin to cook the evening meal and after we eat as a family we give our little one a bath and a story before bedtime. Our daughter is approaching her second birthday in December. She is not even two and has a vocabulary of well over 120-130 different words. This did not happen overnight. This happened by good parenting and a story before bed almost every night from the time that she was two months old until now.

Growing up, manners were extremely important to my grandmother. Before every meal we would say grace as a family. I believe that religion at dinner time is being done away with. I want my daughter to be greatful for everything that she has. We feel very firmly that our little one should have manners and also know how to use them correctly. She now does not need to be coaxed but says "please" and "thank-you" when wanting and/or receiving something.

These small miracles happened while working part-time. I truly believe that working women can be good parents. Lastly, mothers especially give up a great deal to work either full-time or part-time. They are giving up precious time that they could be spending with their families so that they can provide for their children. If anyone believes for one second that a mom would rather be working then spending time with their families they are sadly mistaken. Being a mom is a tremendous gift that I would never take back even for a second. I believe that my little girl would agree with you if you asked her.

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