49 Isn't Good Enough for Molly

Did you see that adorable little girl who said “49 isn’t good enough for me?”  That was my daughter, Molly, who is in Kindergarten.  On the day of filming, her school closed because of the threat of a hurricane.  There was no time to reschedule the filming.  There was also no way that I could miss the filming.  I was in the position that so many working parents face: I needed to be at work but I didn’t have childcare.

I nervously decided to let Molly come to work and watch the video production.  I hoped that she would behave.  I loaded her up with snacks and books and told her to sit in the corner while community members and Women’s Fund Board members trickled in for filming.

To my surprise and delight, Molly’s presence was not only tolerated, but celebrated by every person who came in to work on the video.  People asked her questions, read with her, and helped her find me when she was lost.  Our videographers put her in front of the camera and gave her a line for the video. She loved it!  They loved it!  And I wish that I’d thought to include a child in the video because so much of the work of the Women’s Fund is focused on making a better, more equitable world for the next generation.

The moral of the story is this- that accommodating working parents in creative ways makes everything better.  The video is better with Molly in it.  The filming was more fun because she was there.  I am a happier and more grateful employee of the Women’s Fund because my board members helped me out and didn’t make me feel guilty for having my child at work.

It doesn’t always make sense to have children in an office.  But as the lines between work and life blur, it’s important that we recognize that the benefit of parents in the workforce outweighs the occasional and inevitable childcare glitch.

~Emily O'Donnell, Executive Director