Street Cred

Several years ago before Grayson was even a glimmer in our eyes, I gave a speech for work at a Mothers of Preschoolers (aka MOPS) group. This gathering of young mothers was held in a local church and I very distinctly remember going in thinking I would have all kinds of things in common with these women who were, after all, around my age. Quite the opposite happened and I left feeling like I was from a different planet.

It wasn't that the ladies weren't welcoming, it was just that once they found out I wasn't a mother (and at the time wasn't even considering having children other than Roxy) the conversation seemed to wane. As they swapped child-related stories, I listened intently but had nothing significant to contribute back to the conversation. I dutifully gave my speech and they were an attentive audience, but I still felt like I briefly entered into an alternate universe.

I had never really experienced a situation where my personal life impacted my professional life in terms of perception, but it was eye opening to say the least.

Fast forward two plus years and I was invited to speak at a different MOPS group which took place this morning. I was looking forward to it now that I could do the secret mommy handshake and despite being a full-time working mom, felt I would be more relatable with the group. I'm happy to report that I didn't leave feeling like an alien. I'm still quite intrigued by the whole social experiment aspect of the mom/non-mom and working in-home/out-of-home dynamic. I may make a career out of researching this in my next life.

Now if I could just figure out a way to get the senior citizen groups I speak with to stop referencing my age it would be a home run. Guess that will have to come with time and a few more gray hairs.