What Working Moms Really Want This Mother’s Day

The job of working moms is a never-ending one. Between the 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. duties in the office and the 24/7 responsibilities to your little one, life can be exhausting. It’s true, a beautiful gift basket and some chocolate covered roses can make a woman’s heart sing, and gifts like those from FTD are a staple from a man to his wife on Mother’s Day. But what about those items on mommy’s Mother’s Day wish list that money can’t buy?

Longer Maternity Leave

The moment you temporarily pack up your office desk to welcome a new bundle of joy into your family is the moment the countdown for your return begins. According to chartsbin.com, on average, in America, women get 84 days of maternity leave. Those covering your responsibilities in your absence may attest that this is a lifetime to be away, but in comparison to the rest of the world, American working moms get the short end of the stick. Across the pond in the United Kingdom, women, on average, receive 364 days of maternity leave and the same goes for moms down under in Australia. Our friends to the north (Canada) get between 120 and 360 days between mom and dad, while Russia, Spain, Brazil and Ireland get no less than 112, on average.

Flexible PTO

Tummy aches and running noses may not call for a day home from the office according to your boss, but to your little one who just wants mom to lie with him on the couch and make him feel all better, there is no better reason to call in sick. Instead of faking illness yourself or coming up with a mysterious car problem, wouldn’t it be nice if you could call in a “my kid needs his mom day?”

Telecommuting Options

With the world seemingly glued to their smartphones, working from home one or two days a week doesn’t seem like quite the burden it used to. After all, a Stanford study did find that working from home led to a 13 percent performance increase. To your single and ready to mingle co-workers, working from home may just mean sleeping in an extra hour and avoiding rush hour. But to a working mom, you can have breakfast with your children, spend your lunch break at the park and, yes, reduce the time away from your family by avoiding rush hour.

In-Office Childcare

Childcare seems like a four-letter word among working moms. After spending hours, days and even months finding the right childcare provider, you are now a childcare prisoner. Not only are you shelling out a nice chunk of change each week, but also adding additional time to your commute with drop-offs and pick-ups, as well as racing against the clock to meet the no-exceptions schedules to avoid late fees. Or even worse, expulsion from your childcare center. Not only would an in-office childcare option prevent additional trips before and after work and require less childcare hours, it also would allow you to visit your little one on breaks and lunch for some additional mommy and me time.

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