Class to help moms rejoin workforce
I work at home most days behind a door decorated with glitter glue.
“Look, Mommy,” I heard one of the kids say as I typed away on the other side of the door one morning, “now your work door sparkles.”
It’s not unusual for a piece of paper to be slipped underneath. It’ll contain a picture of a rainbow, or a couple people holding hands and the words “To Mommy, Frum Summer.”
I’m fortunate enough to be able to work while my husband watches the kids. When it’s his time to go to work, I take over.
I know moms whose full-time jobs are raising kids. And I know moms who rise before dawn to get in some quiet work hours, while others work during naptimes and late into the night after the kids have gone to bed.
There are those moms who go to work daily, dropping the kids off at daycare or elsewhere or leaving them with dad.
Regardless of your situation, I’m fairly certain it’s tough sometimes.
Guilt hits us from all directions. I feel it when I hear little voices on the other side of the office door, when I hear myself saying, “Mommy’s working,” or when I see that picture at my feet.
Others, I’m sure, feel it when they pick up the kids after a long day at the office.
For many families these days, it’s simply not a choice.
You have to do whatever works for your family, whatever works for you. You might need the money or you might need to work simply because doing so makes you a better mom.
Whatever the case, we need all the support we can get, which brings me to Denise Maifield of TrainingWorks4U. Based in Round Lake, Maifield’s business offers career and personal development training both through courses and one-on-one services.
With more moms than ever heading back into the workforce, Maifield is offering a “Returning to Work: Strategies for Comeback Moms” class at McHenry County College.
The class is 9 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday in Room A117. The cost is $29. To register, call the MCC Registration Office at 815 455-8559.
Aimed at stay-at-home moms thinking about returning to careers or starting new ones, the class promises to help participants “find work that works for you and your family.”
“They need to have their eyes wide open before they jump into anything,” said Maifield, who speaks from experience, having gone from full-time work to becoming a stay-at-home mom. She then worked as an independent contractor before starting her own business.
The course will help moms evaluate their interests and find resources to help them in their job search, Maifield said.
Instead of just picking the first job out there, Maifield said moms should take some time to figure out what they want to do, whether it’s going back to school to pursue a dream job or finding a job in an area of interest.
“Bringing in money to our family budget is key with this economy, but if you are not doing a job you like, then the ripple effect will happen, and you end up just spinning your wheels,” she said.
In short, she said, “A happy mom at work is a happy mom at home.”
