Kelly Curia-Schmidt – How She Juggles Motherhood and a Career

For a long time women were given two choices as they reached adulthood, they could either select to have a career or they could choose to have a family. It seems bizarre looking back but this is genuinely what it was like for women for a very long time. Even now there is a notion that women can’t occupy high powered or demanding positions and be a good mother, something which women like my friend Kelly Curia-Schmidt are proving to be absolute nonsense. I must say however that Kelly is a remarkable woman and the way in which she manages her work/life balance is very impressive.

Support

The first thing to mention here is the support which Kelly can count on from her friends, her family and her loving husband. Her husband also has a demanding job but they work very well as a team and this is how they are able to be attentive parents and be damn good at what they do. Everyone in this situation requires support and I know that Kelly is thankful for the support which she has around her.

Rules

When Kelly and her husband were expecting their first child they made a list of rules which they have stuck to ever since. The list of rules included things like  doing the school run 3 times a week, never missing one of the kid’s events and other important things which would ensure that they would always be present in their kid’s lives. They have three children in total and these rules are still adhered to, much to the frustration at times of their respective offices.

Organization

Kelly was always an organizer but since she has kids she has taken this into overdrive and it is what ensures that she is always there for her children, and that she never misses an important moment at work. Even when I try to see her for a catch up it has to be planned in advance and this makes complete sense given the life which she leads. Without organization she would miss moments which she may never be able to get back.

Personal Time

It is all well and good making sure that you are there for your kids, but not if you are taking out the stresses of work on them. This is why Kelly, somewhat amazingly, will almost always make an hour for herself after work, before she gets home to see the family. She tells me that if she didn’t take this time out to go to the gym or to a spa, that she would arrive home with the frustrations of work still in her mind, which would mean that she couldn’t give the kids the loving and fun mother which they deserve.

This balance is hard to achieve but it is most certainly achievable if you are smart, well planned and if you have a solid support network around you.