I feel very fortunate for having had a mother who worked. She was not a Ph.D. or a scientist, but she has had a career for my entire life. She was also very technical, as a computer programmer for many years. (Interesting side story: She was the only woman chosen to learn programming at BigTechnicalCompany where she and her entire family worked on the assembly line.) Although my mom always said she wished she could have been home with us when we were little and in school, I am very happy about the way things turned out. Her example of a woman with a successful career who was a fun and caring mother, set the example for me with my career and kids.
I had some minor anxiety and guilt about going back to work, when my kids were babies. But then I decided that I was giving my daughter a role model for how to be a mom with a career. Much like men, women do not have to CHOOSE between having a family and having a career. We can HAVE BOTH! We should not feel guilty for having both, but be happy that we are setting an example to the next generation.
Woman Of Science 
Leave a Reply