Quieting that working mom guilt
"You cannot be everywhere and you can't do everything. And that’s OK."
That was one of the hard truths that was dropped during Newsday’s inaugural Working Moms Summit at a session held at our headquarters in Melville called, "Unfiltered: The truth about leadership, motherhood and making it work."
It sounds like common sense, but it’s something that us working moms have to continuously remind ourselves as we try to be devoted parents but also committed to our careers too.
I told myself this last week when I made the decision to miss my son’s fifth grade picnic after rain moved it from a Monday, when I usually work remotely and have some flexibility with my schedule, to the middle of a Wednesday, when I had back-to-back meetings in the office that I could not miss.
My son was graduating from elementary school and the emotional side of me didn’t want to miss a thing. My rational side kept telling me, "You’ve already taken personal days so you could be at his final field day and graduation ... and you spent last night chaperoning their dance" ... but I did have some mom guilt.
Keeping up with my graduating fifth grader — and all of his end-of-the-year events — while also balancing work demands was a challenge last month. Credit: Tara Conry
Newsday’s sold-out event brought together experts and fellow working moms to tackle subjects such as the guilt many working moms struggle with and the invisible mental load, along with navigating the cost of living on Long Island, kids’ screen time and the physical and emotional changes brought on by perimenopause.
More than 185 people attended, but if you weren’t able to make it, you can catch up by watching videos from all the sessions at Newsday.com/workingmoms. Let us know what your favorite takeaway was from the event via Instagram or email.
Former "Good Morning America" co-anchor Joan Lunden, left, and NewsdayTV's Elisa DiStefano at Newsday's Working Moms Summit on June 3. Credit: Chris Ware
Your kid may be getting $1,000 on July 4
If you have a child born after Jan. 1, 2025, the federal government has promised to give them each $1,000 on Saturday.
That’s when the new Trump Accounts go into effect. The program is supposed to present a new option for parents interested in saving for their children's college tuition and beyond. (Local employers must also decide whether to offer contributions as a new perk.)
While the government is giving the $1,000 seed money to its youngest citizens, parents and other family members can contribute up to $5,000 and all U.S. citizen children under 18 with a valid Social Security number can create an account.
Read our FAQ to learn more.
Ice cream on demand
Caitlin Mann makes an ice cream delivery to Joanne Saccaro in Massapequa. Credit: Newsday/Alejandra Villa Loarca
We '80s and '90s kids remember a childhood where we had to wait for our cartoons to come on TV and only during certain times of the day. And we had to patiently hope and listen for the ice cream truck to come down our block.
But our kids are growing up in an on-demand world, and that has extended to ice cream.
Now, using our phones of course, you can summon an ice cream truck to come to you ... or even an ice cream boat if you’re out at sea or hanging dockside. See how it works.
We want to hear from you
Join the conversation with other Long Island moms on our Facebook group, follow us on Instagram at @longisland_moms and let us know what more you’d like to see from his newsletter by emailing workingmoms@newsday.com.
