I've always heard that teaching is a great profession for moms. Most of my teacher friends purposely chose to be teachers for that very reason!
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I agree, teachers! When i moved to a new city and was having trouble finding a job, my dad suggested i go to teacher's college to be a teacher so that it would work with DH's schedule. But there is nooo way i could become a teacher...i don't have the patience!
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I'm a teacher and getting off early and getting vacations is great. BUT...the job never ends. I constantly have class's to plan and papers to. Grade and I never feel caught up.
I think nursing is the best. Three 12 hour shifts and you're done for the week. A lot of the young NICU nurse moms only worked two shifts for the first year or so which is even better. It's very hard to go part-time if you teach high school...a little easier for elementary.
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@Mrs Green Grass: Ah nursing. Forgot about that one! That is a great profession for moms.
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I think either teaching or nursing, my Mom is a teacher, and it was always nice that she was off for our school holidays, that being said, I would never be a teacher because it takes so much outside marking and planning. She might have been home but she constantly had a crap-load of marking, planning, report cards etc hat she was working on at nights/weekends/days off.
I am a nurse, and I love my schedule flexibility. I could work casual and only work when my DH is home, and avoid child care costs altogether, or what I do is work a small position, and 12 hour shifts, so I only work on average 2 days per week, we will send S to daycare for the socialization aspect, and on weekends/nights when I work daddy is on duty!
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@banana: I think anything that is understanding & mindful of schedule needs. Teaching would be great b/c of the holidays but like @Mrs Green Grass pointed out the job never ends! I don't really know if there is a specific job that trumps the rest...
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I think nursing! The schedule is great, and I believe nurses make quite a bit more money than teachers so that's something to consider.
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Nursing doesn't ways mean working hospital shifts
I enjoyed working 12 hour shifts 3x a week, but after I became a mom, I went into a position that allowed for a more "regular" schedule. I left work at 4pm, and no weekends or holidays. Nursing also has a good amount of positions that are part-time or even, per diem. The wonderful part of nursing is too, is that there are so many different specialties: inpatient, outpatient, pediatrics, adults, the elderly, research, forensics, IT (helping to develop software for hospitals, for example), academia, the legal world... I could go on and on.
I also know a lot of nurses who are able to leave their career for a few years (or even for 18) to stay at home with kids, and then go back to it without too much difficulty.
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I like my job as a mom. It's been very empowering.
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My mom's a pre-school teacher and she works with a lot of young moms. She works from 9-2:30, three days a week. She has a school teacher's schedule (summer's off, spring break, holidays), but with a lot less strenuous prep. (Her prep mostly consists of finding fun projects on Pinterest!) Also, the moms with young kids get a discount for their kids, which is pretty awesome.
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@SAHM0811: Makes me want to go back to school and pursing a nursing career!!
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I would LOVE to be a teacher. My Mom was always able to be there for us in the afternoons and spent all summer with us at the pool. We swam, she worked on her tan and read.
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@banana: haha! Sorry didn't mean to sound like a recruiter
it always makes me happy to hear when someone is interested in nursing though. it is a tough job, but the benefits are great!
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I didn't choose teaching for that reason, but as I get older I realize how great of a balance it will be as a mom. LOs will go to the elementary school that I teach at (I won't teach them though!) so it will be great to see them every day and have that inside scoop on their little lives!
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Oh and it's always been a dream of mine to be a school nurse. At my kids' school. My friend's mom did that. If I had to do it all over again, I would've pursued that specialty
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@SAHM0811: LOL! I actually have always wanted to get into the medical profession and nursing would've been great. I think it's just so much more rewarding than my 9-6 desk job. Lately I've been in a real funk about my career. I've been feeling the need to do something more rewarding and fulfilling in my life. Nursing or teaching are both such awesome professions and I respect both so very much!
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I would say teacher due to the hours or in the medical field if you can do 12 hour shifts and only work 3 days a week.
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My job is pretty awesome for moms. Flex time, work from home, good pay, low stress, etc. I like that it's also atypical. I never considered my career to be a factor with having kids. But the same job at another company might be super stressful!
I would find teaching to be INCREDIBLY stressful, lol.
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@blackbird: what do you do??
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I would find working 3 12 hour shifts stressful during the newborn/infant stage. You wouldn't see your baby 3 days out of the week
I would much rather work 5 days a week 7-3:00!
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My mom would always tell me when I was young (like really young, 9 or 10 yrs old) that I should become a teacher so that I could one day have a more flexible schedule for my kids and I completely ignored her!! That said, I would have been a terrible teacher, as I have no patience. However, it sounds like maybe I should have been a nurse? Except having someone's life in my hands is too stressful to think about! I want a do-over...
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@yellowbird, i'm an engineer at a large defense company. it's surprisingly family friendly! i think women get scared out of the career (science tends to scare women off, anyways, but that's a big STEM effort!), but honestly, i have a more flexible job than most everybody I know!
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I think teaching, nursing, dog walking, or real estate agent would be the best.
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I have an office job, but I think it's good for moms in some ways that teaching/nursing aren't. I can work from home at the last minute whenever I need to, and I can make my own hours (within reason) so if school drop off changed from say, 8:00 to 9:00 I could accommodate that.
My mom is a teacher and the tough thing for her, and I'd imagine for a nurse as well, is that if your kid is sick and you can't come in to work you have to make other arrangements (sub, etc).
I think any employer who values work/life balance is a good place to work as a mom, and it seems like flexibility is the key no matter what.
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@Mrs. Jacks: I think you make it look easy!
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@blackbird: that sounds like a great job!!
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I don't think it's always the specific profession, but how flexible your employer is with working from home, start and stop time, vacation, etc. I have a low stress desk job that pays really well and my boss is super flexible about me working from home, leaving early, etc. So I would say my job is mom-friendly for sure.
If I really wanted to, I could arrange a regular work from home schedule, but I am holding off because I think that actually set you back career-wise. It's always better to be in the office at least on a regular basis to get bumped up to the next level.
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I think being an early childhood educator or nurse best prepares you to be a mom. Any job where mom is satisfied and happy will make her a good mom
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The one that they enjoy. Seriously. If you don't enjoy your job, whatever it may be, you will take that frustration home to your children and it will just end up miserable for everybody, not to mention you will teach your kids to just do whatever you think you have to, no matter how miserable it makes you, and that following your dreams and passions aren't important.
While I want to make sure I spend as much time as possible with my children, I also want to make sure I am happy in what I do. I want my children to learn from me and my example on how to follow my dreams and that I should never forget who I am, even after I have children.
And while I am not at that point just yet (working on it though) I will say, some jobs will surprise you. I work 40 hours a week but I have 3-4 days off every week. I work 3-4 12 hour shifts and get the rest of the week off. I am looking forward to my long weekends with our kids.
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Yeah with teaching you can't just leave for an appt or stay home when your baby is sick without doing work or get to work late. It's not flexible at all - just has good vacations.
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Programming is great for a mom or dad... very flexible hours.
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@runsyellowlites: agree with any job that is flexible and understanding.
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@twodoghouse: Agree. I teach pre-k and the only reason I want to find an elementary job is because the pay is like 2x what I'm making now.
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Whatever you love to do 'cause leaving the house and dealing with all the hassles of daycare is just not worth it for anything less!
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@Mrs Green Grass: THIS. Teaching is so time consuming!
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@Honeybee: Well, it's definitely emotionally and time consuming... but really fun!
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I'm a teacher (and not a mom yet) and I think it does have a lot of perks like summers and holidays off. On the other hand, missing school when you need to is such a headache. I have to either leave <1 hour early and convince other people to watch my class or take a half or full day in order to get a substitute. We also have later school hours than most schools and getting a doctors appointment is next to impossible! Also it is very hard for nursing moms because you have to find someone to watch your class while you pump and then there is literally nowhere to do it.
That being said, I love my job and wouldn't trade it. Can't wait to hang out in the summer with future LOs!
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@Mrs. Stroller: good answer!
We have a fairly "traditional" household in that I will stay at home with the kids and my husband works, but why isn't the question the best job for parents?
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I am a high school English teacher, and I love that I have longer breaks for the major holidays as well as during the summer--when my LO's are older and in school, it will be a blessing to not have to worry about who will care for them, as we will be on the same schedule.
However, as Mrs. Green Grass noted, teaching is a job that does not just end when the bell rings--I constantly have stacks of essays to grade, and I take work home with me. As many of my colleagues who are mothers have mentioned, teaching is a job that is never finished--I can always improve on a past lesson, and I always want to find fresh ways to reach my kids...but, I think that anyone who cares about her job, whatever it may be, could say the same thing--there is always room for one to improve, and every job has its drawbacks.
From the standpoint of being more accessible to my kids, teaching is great; however, as Mrs. 64 mentioned, it is harder to be away from the job than other careers--I can't be late, I can't run out for an appointment, if I miss a day, I need to put some major thought in beforehand to make adequate and thorough sub plans.
With respect to pumping, it is a bit of a hassle, but I do it in my locked classroom during the Nutrition break--I manage to get it done in 8-10 minutes!
I think Mrs. Stroller said it best though--the best job is the one you love doing, and if a woman is lucky enough to have an employer that is accommodating to her family's needs, then that is a great job!
As a new mother who works out of the home, I've often thought about how the workplace might be more family-friendly!
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@SAHM0811: I was going to say the exact same things as you about nursing. We have a great profession!
I enjoyed working 12 hour shifts 3x a week, but after I became a mom, I went into a position that allowed for a more "regular" schedule. I left work at 4pm, and no weekends or holidays. 
it always makes me happy to hear when someone is interested in nursing though. it is a tough job, but the benefits are great!
I would much rather work 5 days a week 7-3:00!
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