工作妈妈应该心存感激的六大理由

Working Mothers Love the Quiet Commute and Adult Interaction
工作妈妈喜欢安静的交流以及成人的互动

Working mothers\' thanks go to their kids\' teachers, the neighbors, the babysitter and the many other people who keep our lives manageable. But sometimes working mothers say thanks simply for being able to work outside the home while also raising children.
工作妈妈要感谢孩子的老师，邻居，保姆以及那些让我们的生活更容易的人。但是，很多时候，工作妈妈只是单单为了能在抚养好小孩的同时也可以外出工作而心存感激。

That\'s not to say that working mothers are better off than stay-at-home moms. Every parent has the prerogative to choose the path that\'s best for his or her family, and the right to make that decision without being judged. Stay-at-home moms deserve our respect and admiration for the difficult course they\'ve chosen and sacrifices they make.
这不是说工作妈妈比全职妈妈更好。每个父母为了家庭生活更美好，都有选择的权利，以及当他/她做出这样的选择时，别人无权批评她。全职妈妈做出的牺牲值得我们钦佩，尊敬。

As for working mothers, we\'ve made our own tradeoffs by accepting less time with our family in exchange for a career. But let\'s focus on the positive. Here are 6 good reasons to shrug off the guilt and be grateful you\'re a working mother.
而对于工作妈妈来说，为了工作，他们不得不接受只能有很少的时间来陪伴在家人的身旁。但是让我们看看积极的一面吧，以下六个好理由可以让你不再有罪恶感，并且对自己是工作妈妈而心存感激。

Working Mothers Get Time Alone
工作妈妈有时间独处

Stay-at-home moms, especially of babies and toddlers, rarely enjoy a moment\'s peace. They may not even be able to go to the bathroom alone.
全职妈妈，尤其是有了婴儿或者小孩子的，很少能够享受到一刻的宁静。他们甚至连单独洗澡的时间都没有。

Working mothers get time away from their family, to think in quiet and to focus on something other than the relentless

drumbeat of children\'s needs. Even working mothers in jobs that involve serving customers may find that their kids\' demands are the most relentless.
工作妈妈有时间远离家庭，安静的思考，把生活重点放在其他更有意义的事情上，而不是小孩子无休止的吵闹上。即使是工作上需要应付客户的妈妈也会感到他们小孩的要求是多么的无礼。

Every working mother who has enjoyed a peaceful cup of coffee at work knows what I\'m talking about. A lunch break spent running errands or getting a hair cut can still be a welcome break from children.
每个在工作上可以享受到片刻宁静的咖啡时间的工作妈妈都明白我在说什么。利用中午的休息时间去剪个头发或做做其他事情，都比照顾小孩要舒服得多。

Working Mothers Enjoy Adult Interaction
工作妈妈可以享受大人之间的交流

We all love our kids. We enjoy talking with other moms about them and their foibles. But it\'s nice to have a built-in break from the world of children, even if it means talking about overdue reports, sales projections and upcoming presentations.
我们都爱我们的小孩。我们喜欢和其他的妈妈聊天，聊各自的优缺点。但是如果能够在一个没有小孩子的情况下，哪怕只是谈一些预期未交的报告，销售预测报告，以及即将举行的陈述报告都是很快乐的事情。

Even better is the opportunity to chat with co-workers about politics, sports, current events or the latest blockbustermovie. Potty training and camp schedules can drive you crazy if you don\'t have any other topics of conversation.
如果有机会和同事一起聊政治，运动，时下发生的新闻，或最新出的大片电影那就更好了.如果你只能和别人聊一些琐碎的校园培训、学习计划等，而不能有其他共同话题可谈的话，那会让你发疯的。

(This is not to say stay-at-home moms are incapable of discussing weighty topics - just that when you interact with other adults in a child-free zone, it\'s a natural outcome.)
这并不是说居家妈妈就不能聊一些有深度的话题，只是说当你在没有小孩的时候和其他大人聊天，这些话题很自然就会聊到。）

Work Gives You an Identity Beyond \"Mom\"
工作让你得到超出妈妈之外的成就

Being a mother is our most important job. But it can be overwhelming if it\'s our only one. Working mothers get to have an identity separate from being \"Mom\".
当妈妈是我们一项重要的工作。但是如果我们唯一的事情就是当妈妈的话会很压抑的。工作可以让你得到超出妈妈之外的成就。

After all, parenthood is filled with tasks that must be repeated multiple times a day. You dress the kid, her clothes get

dirty, you have to wash them. You feed the kid, clean the dishes and then he\'s hungry again. It can feel endless.
毕竟，你每天都要尽很多次父母的义务。帮孩子穿衣服，她的衣服弄脏了以后，你又要帮他们洗。喂他们吃饭，洗碗，然后他们又饿了。这些琐事做起来就像没完没了一样。

At work there may be plenty of mundane chores. But you also have projects with a beginning and an end, something you can point to with pride and say, \"I did that!\" You use your brain for challenges beyond figuring out the carpool schedule.
工作上也会有很多琐事。但是，你也会做一些有始有终的项目，做完之后你可以骄傲的说“那是我做的！”。你用你的智慧接受挑战而不是只想些用车计划之类的琐事。

Notice those accomplishments and document them to remind yourself (and your boss) that you are a talented contributor to your workplace.
认识到这些成就，并将他们整理归档，以此来提醒自己或你的上司，你对工作的贡献有多大。

Working Mothers Earn a Pay Check
工作妈妈可以挣到钱

It doesn\'t make you greedy to relish the weekly or monthly pay check you bring home. That money feeds and clothes your family, and helps provide for their financial security in the future.
每个周末或月末带着支票回家并不会让你显得贪婪。这些钱可以养家糊口，也保证了你家人将来的财政支出。

Like it or not, our society runs on money and recognizes it as proof of accomplishment. If you make a choice to give up that pay check, you are opening your family to the risk of financial instability down the road.
不管你是否喜欢，我们的社会是靠金钱来运转的，你的成就也是靠金钱来衡量的。如果你选择放弃薪水，你就是让你的家人陷入财政危机的风险中。

Hopefully, we are all putting a little money into a college savings fund and a retirement fund. Both of those funds will help our children with the education they will receive and freedom from supporting elderly parents.
我们可望将一些资金投入大学储蓄基金和养老金。这些基金都可以让我们的孩子享受到他们应受的教育，还可以让他们不用赡养年迈的父母。

For many working mothers, the pay check provides some of the extras in life, whether a regular dinner out, nice vacations or extracurricularactivities for the kids. And even those in the most loving marriage recognize that earning money puts them on equal footing with their husbands -- and protects them in case that marriage ends.
对于很多工作妈妈来说，工作薪水可以为家庭带来一些额外的消费。如，定期外出就餐，美好的假期，或者孩子的课外活动等。即使在婚姻最美满的妇女都知道，挣得到钱就可以让他们和丈夫平起平坐，即使有一天婚姻走到了尽头，也可以很好的保护自己。

Working Mothers Set an Example
工作妈妈树立了很好的榜样

As a mother of daughters, I am keenly aware that my life choices will be their first model when they venture out into the world. They may choose differently, but their point of comparison will be the decisions I made about my career and family.
作为一个妈妈，我深刻的认识到，我的人生选择将会对我的女儿们闯世界时所做的选择产生最直接的影响。他们的选择也许不同，但是他们将会参照、对比我对家庭和工作作出的选择。

So while I hope they understand that family is my top priority, I also love that they see me having a professional life that is rewarding and important. It\'s healthy for children not to be the only focus of their mom\'s life -- that\'s way too much pressure. They need the room to make mistakes and learn from them without mom always hovering nearby.
虽然我想让他们明白，我将家庭放在最优先的位置，但是我也想他们知道，我的职业生涯也是很重要，很有价值。如果妈妈的生活重点全是孩子的话，那会有很大的压力的，也不利于孩子的健康成长。因为孩子需要独立的空间，没有妈妈在旁边嘘寒问暖，让他们自己在犯错误中学习吸取经验教训而成长。

The same holds true for moms of boys. If boys are going to grow up to respect women as equal contributors to the workplace, it helps for them to see their mom in that role.
这个规则同样适合男孩子。因为如果男孩长大后，在职场上尊重和他们做出同样贡献的女生，他们也会以同样的理由尊重他们的母亲。

Our Children Learn Independence
我们的孩子学会了独立

Someone recently asked me why daycare children are so confident and outgoing. While I don\'t feel that statement is

universally true, I do believe that being in child care helps kids to develop independence and confidence. Every day they separate from their moms and dads, and things turn out okay.
最近有人问我，为什么日托的小孩是如此的自信和开朗。虽然我不认为所有的日托小孩都是这样，但是我确实相信上托日所可以帮助小孩独立和自信。即使每天他们都和父母分离，但是也能很好的生活。

It\'s wonderful to see children develop loving relationships with their caregivers, and learn different things from them than they would have learned from their parents. Exposure to multiple perspectives -- both caregivers and other kids -- makes children more resilient and able to interact with a range of people as they grow up. That\'s a recipe for success in life.
小孩子和托儿所看管人之间建立亲密关系是件很好的事情，他们可以从这些人身上学到很多父母身上没有的东西。他们可以与多方面的人接触--托儿所看管人，还有其他的小孩子，这样，在他们的成长过程中就能学会怎么更好的与别人打交道。这也是生活中的一大成功之处。

(来源 原版英语)