Pointer to video featuring Jas Kaur

Jas Kaur, mother of four, launched Goodwill Glasses last March (2017). As a working mom she strives to help others while setting a good example for her children. She tells her story in this very short video (< 2 min). This article tells her story too.

Pointer to a short inspirational video featuring Judaline Cassidy

Many working parents have careers that benefit their own children in various ways. And some working parents put in extra effort to be sure that their careers benefit other people's children as well. Judaline Cassidy is one of these impressive people. Watch her short inspirational story on the TODAY show to learn more. 

Sisters First was written by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush

Lately I've been watching YouTube videos while exercising, and recently I stumbled across some very entertaining segments featuring the Bush Twins, Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush, daughters of former president George W. Bush and former first lady Laura Bush. These young women (now 36) have been on tour promoting their new book Sisters First: Stories from Our Wild and Wonderful Life. They are highly entertaining, and I especially enjoyed their Nov 8, 2017 interview at the Reagan Library.

After watching a number of their interviews, I started to wonder if I really needed to read the book, but finally decided to buy it in an effort to encourage them to keep the stories coming. And I'm glad I did. It's entertaining, informative, and touching, and there are quite a few stories in the book that haven't been shared via the interviews. The reason I mention it within the context of Working Parent Stories is that I think it provides a valuable example of how a parent's career can not only enhance a child's life, but how it can shape it as well. It's probably not surprising that these young women's lives have been shaped by their experiences as "first daughters", but their stories seem to present a suprising case for the value a working parent's career can provide to his or her children.

The interviews left me wondering if their childhoods were almost too good to be true, and while watching them I even started to feel a little like a slacker parent, but the book does a great job of painting a more well-rounded picture of their family life and a portrait that I personally found encouraging and inspiring. This is a collection of stories that are likely to encourage working parents everywhere.

If you ever wonder if your career is helping your kids, I recommend you read this book or at least watch one or more of the videos. The stories are likely to bring you comfort and they may even inspire you to find new ways to be sure that your career is influencing and shaping your own children in a positive way. Happy reading!

Pointer to a BuzzFeedVideo by Hannah Williams - "We had some intersting results."

This BuzzFeedVideo (8:40 min) from Hannah Williams may have you thinking she's crazy at the beginning, but by the end you may find yourself convinced that she uncovered some valuable lessons you can use (while avoiding the actual "experiment").

Leveraged from EJ Kafooples' YouTube Channel

​WATCH VIDEO from EJ Kafoople to hear about her time saving tip that can save you hours each month while building your children's self-esteem (and a few life skills).

Submitted by Laura Schreiber

I started down the path to become a working parent the week I turned 19 while I was a student at Barnard College. One of my sorority sisters set me up with my future husband. Even though that was back in April of 1996, it feels like Harlan picked me up in my dorm room yesterday. And changed my world. He was sweet, positively brilliant, and like no one else I had ever met.  

Around that time I also started thinking about a career in voiceover. Everywhere I went, people commented on my voice. It’s high and quite unique. But I was a serious student, and the field of voiceover was very different than it is today. It required in-person auditions, and, with my academic commitments, that wouldn't have been possible. So instead, I continued my studies and stayed in New York City to attend graduate school at Columbia.  

Harlan and I are blessed to have twins, Emma and Jack. All kids are expensive, and, from the beginning, these twins, who are more precious than you can possibly imagine, were also more expensive than we ever anticipated. From speech and occupational therapy to tutors, they needed a lot of support, which we gave them with smiles, hugs, and hope. Early on, I stayed home with them, but when they both needed to attend a private school that specialized in helping kids with language-based learning differences, it became clear that we'd needed two incomes to swing it.

Watch Video 

Originally Published: Jul 18, 2017 | Last Updated: May 10, 2018