Parenting's Editor-in-Chief Replies to Sheryl Sandberg's Stand for Working Moms

Hey, Facebook’s Sheryl Sandberg, here’s to you!

Thank you for telling the world you leave every day at 5:30. Had I known that was your plan, I would have met you on a rooftop—heck, a mountaintop—and shouted it right alongside you. As the editorial director for Parenting and its sister magazines, I am often confronted with a dilemma: Do I stay at work polishing content that helps modern moms balance work/family life, or do I leave the office when the Fred Flintstone whistle blows and actually practice what I preach?

When I became the editorial director of Parenting almost two years ago, I made a conscious decision to always opt for the latter. I am a single mom to a 6-year-old son. His dad lives in another state. The rest of his family lives in other cities. I am his one daily shot of family. If I am not there, what kind of example am I setting for him? Truth be told, what kind of example am I setting for my readers?

I actually like my job. I wouldn’t dream of not working. But when the end comes, my biggest source of pride will be my son, Javier, not the extra stories I edited. (No offense to you, my amazing 5 million readers, but I am sure you’d hate me if I became the kind of mom who rarely made it to karate, play dates and classroom parties.)

I am often asked how I do it all. Five magazine brands. An adorable son. One cute bungalow home. Two offices in separate states. Here’s my short and simple answer: I get up and do it. Every day, without fail. I give 1000% for eight hours at work each day, time vacations to my son’s spring break schedule, and I cut myself a lot of slack when I order in some nights. I’ve learned to work smarter at work and love with more gusto at home. If there’s a pizza box on the table and a squealing kid underneath it playing hide-and-go seek with me, I know I’m not just doing it all. I’ve done it.