The new parenting book Good Enough Is The New Perfect by Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple (Harlequin, May 2011) had me from the very first paragraph:
This is not a book about settling. Or mediocrity. Or about anything other than getting exactly what we want as mothers, professionals and women. (Not everything we sort of want, but the things we want most.) – From Good Enough Is The New Perfect by Becky Beaupre Gillespie and Hollee Schwartz Temple
This statement perfectly describes Gillespie and Temple’s parenting outlook. Their book is not about shrugging your shoulders at your career and motherhood and saying, “Whatever.” It’s about how to get what you want out of your career and motherhood while tuning out what everyone else is saying that you should want. So, how does one go about doing that? That is just what Gillespie and Temple go about explaining throughout the book. They surveyed over 900 working mothers from all over the United States. From their findings they discovered that each of the women fell into one of two groups: the Never Enoughs or the Good Enoughs. Throughout the book they use case studies in addition to their own compelling personal stories to illustrate each point discussed in the book.
As a stay at home mom, I might not seem like the proper target audience for a book about balancing your work life with your home life. However, I enjoyed the book and found it helpful. I worked prior to having children as an English teacher, and I have been toying with the idea of going back to work once my youngest is in kindergarten. My only problem with going back to work is that I don’t want to continue teaching. It just isn’t for me. So, I really enjoyed the chapter in Good Enough Is The New Perfect titled “Reentry and Reinvention On The Path To The New Perfect.” It gave me lots to think about (including tips and strategies) when I do finally sit down and try to decide exactly what I want to do if I decide to go back out into the traditional work force. I also enjoyed the chapter called “I’m The Boss Of Me.” This chapter discussed several female entrepreneurs including social media experts Alli Worthington (Blissfully Domestic, Blissdom) and Amy Lupold Bair (Resourceful Mommy Media). This chapter interested me because I would love to eventually start my own business giving me the freedom to set my own hours and have my children on the job with me.
It is inspirational to read about women that have succeeded in their respective fields, and that is the great thing about Good Enough Is The New Perfect. It is chock full of uplifting testimonies from women who found the right balance between home and work. You will walk away from this book feeling like it is possible to be a great mom and take on the world!
Check out the book trailer for more information about this excellent book:
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So what do you think you’d do? I ask because I’m MOSTLY a SAHM and I too would like to work again when my kidlets hit school age, but I’m reluctant to go back to programming, because the hours rarely jive with being a mom. I like writing, but goodness knows if THAT will ever pay the bills, not to sound pessimistic.