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When Moms Need A Business Trip

2013 April 26
by WWGD

WhatWouldGwynethDo

Pardon my silence around here the past few days. I just got home from a little business jaunt up to the Bay Area where I had the privilege of working with the fantastic ladies at Big City Moms on their latest event.

Being in a room full of expecting women brought on a (quick) case of baby fever, but that’s for another post altogether…

It turned out to be a timely trip with this story in the Wall Street Journal hitting the very morning I boarded my plane.

I silently watched as online dismay spiraled into serious controversy.

Moms were offended. Moms felt wronged. Moms were mad.

And here I was, a mom who was kind of excited to settle into a hotel room, watch some TV in peace, go out for a nice dinner or two, and maybe sleep in past the crack of dawn for the first time in a while.

I don’t blame the women in the article for being angry. I think they were taken out of context and simply pawns in a story that had already been written in the reporter’s mind long before she interviewed them.

I don’t blame women who travel for business or their blogs or their personal ventures for being offended that the reporter made their trips and hard work seem frivolous. It’s certainly not all just wine tastings and group gossip sessions over sushi.

And I certainly don’t blame anyone for being offended by that ridiculous “The Mommy Business Trip” infographic they ran alongside the piece.

But I also don’t – and can’t – blame myself for the work trips I have to take and also for occasionally looking forward to them.

And for making the most of the time I have to spend away from my family.

And for not feeling guilty about that.

Because from my perspective, sometimes momsĀ do need a business trip. A chance to read on a plane, to catch up with co-workers in a social setting, to put an exorbitant dinner – and a couple of drinks – on an expense account.

And I don’t think that’s shameful. And I don’t think that’s a headline, either.

While coming home is always the sweetest part of any trip, when I am on it I may as well put some icing on the cake.

*image above taken at Blue Bottle Coffee in San Francisco, where I had the most perfect, simple breakfast of poached eggs, toast and a latte. By myself. Watching the world go by. And taking photos to send to my kids.

3 Responses
  1. April 27, 2013

    Crikey – what a piece and what an angle! I’m guessing no-one would use that kind of tone if we were writing about Daddy’s business trip. Just guessing.

  2. April 27, 2013

    Go figure this piece of crap coming from the WSJ. And Amanda is right, this would never be written about Daddy’s business trip. But oh how I relate. For my birthday last year I asked my husband for a night in a hotel downtown… ALONE. I also have a trip coming up in June/July for work and I cannot wait for the post-conference moments of R & R sans toddler. My husband has been away for work for a total of 4 weeks since our 18-month old was born. I love my daughter, but to that I say, “Lucky b@stard.”

  3. April 29, 2013

    One of the best gifts my husband has ever given me was a night of uninterrupted sleep unencumbered by an alarm – alone. In a hotel. I’d been working like a dog, and had actually spent inordinate late nights away from home, but what he knew I needed more than anything was sleep. So he gave it to me.

    I, too, relish a business trip for the same reasons. I also relish that point when a long trip becomes too long a time away from home and when I start missing that family more than just a little. My 5 days last summer in San Diego? probably 2 days too long. But H still says I was the nicest person I’d been in a long time after that trip.

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