I'll pass on that life.  It just doesn't sound fulfilling to me.  That's ME, of course, if others want to live that life, then so be it.  It's just too bad that she fought against flex time for other moms who probably don't pull in $30million a year like she did.

I'm not sure I can answer your question - but I read the article, and, while I understand that she made the choices she needed to get ahead (and had resources to do so), I am disappointed that she campaigned against family-friendly workplace measures like "flextime" (which also is a policy that enables workplaces to hire employees with disabilities more easily in the case of some disabilities).  I think she did women a disservice by being a woman in a powerful position fighting against a measure designed to allow mothers to be productive and still fulfill their family obligations.

I think it depends on the kind of job you have and the kind of workplace you're in.  If you're in law or finance, if you're in the kind of job where you make partner, or might be CEO, then yeah, you might well have to pretend that the company owns your soul and do all your parenting on the sly.  I suspect the men who compete for those sorts of jobs also have to kiss parent/teacher conferences goodbye.  Those jobs aren't terribly representative of the kinds of jobs the average working mom does, not even the average middle-class working mom.

I work in tech and while there are certainly nights before a big release when I put the kids to bed and then have to be working until 3 AM, there are other days when I leave during the middle of the day because of kid obligations and no one minds.  I can also work at home so it's relatively low-stress to have a sick child because all I do is open up my laptop on the kitchen table and presto, I'm "at work".  Most of the men who work here who have kids are also involved fathers and it's not uncommon for anyone, male or female, to mention child responsibilities.  

I work in tech as well, and while it's totally acceptable to talk about family responsibilities at work, you have to be careful.  I regularly hide the fact that I'm with my child when I'm working from home -- making sure my phone is on mute for conference calls, or making sure I IM people while she's napping, so I don't get distracted. Nobody would mind, exactly, if they knew, but why let anyone think I'm "not really working"?  I wouldn't have any problems with my job, per se, but I also wouldn't be in a competitive position for a promotion.  The perception is that a mother isn't putting her heart and soul into her job, because a sick kid will always trump work.  And as a matter of fact, that's true.

As a result, I try not to talk about my baby unless asked.  And if my baby is sick, I just take a sick day for myself without mentioning why.  I think of it this way: I don't want to get pigeonholed.  If I were leaving once a week for therapy, or going to the gym every day for lunch, I wouldn't want to be pigeonholed that way either.  There's a long history of hiding our personal lives from work in order to maintain the perception that we are workers first, humans second.  I don't feel bad about that.

I'll have my rewards when I get promoted and use that extra money to donate to a politician that will finally pass some legislation to give my daughter better options in life.

When I first read this, I was thinking, "I could NEVER leave my new baby for two months!" I immediately felt judgmental of the lawyer mom who did just that. I wish that hadn't been my unthinking first reaction. After all, I doubt if as many people would be shocked if a new father did the same thing (although I would have killed my husband if he did that!). I think people have to make all kids of tough choices in order to be parents and have careers. I am happy staying home with my twins while they are little, but I also don't have a career about which I am passionate.

Joanie, I agree with what you say about keeping our personal lives separate from our work lives. I'm sure it depends on what sort of job and workplace you have as well.