Posted by Julie/MI on 9/11/06 4:30pm
Msg #145232

For the full time, experienced business driven woman only!

Did any of you have to take maternity leave of your business?

If so, how it work?

Did you loose your major clients?

When did you tell your major clients?

Did you provide backup in your absence?

How soon did you go back to doing closings?

Did your volume decrease or increase?

Did your competition swoop in and undercut your fees?

You may email me if you like instead of posting. Thanks

Reply by JM_NY on 9/11/06 5:44pm
Msg #145246

I think that would be an added benefit to the network notary n/m

Reply by K_CA on 9/11/06 6:05pm
Msg #145250

Personally, I would never do this job if I had a brand new baby , or small children for that matter. That is what I would be worried about, not loosing business!

Reply by cyndi_ca on 9/11/06 7:24pm
Msg #145266

Re: For the full time, experienced business driven woman onl

This line of work is very very difficult to do with small children, unless you have a great support system.

Reply by hcampersFL on 9/11/06 7:47pm
Msg #145269

Julie if I'm wrong sorry...Congratulations!!! n/m

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 9/11/06 7:52pm
Msg #145270

Re: Julie?

Hmm is this a subtle way of making an announcement? LOL
Are congratulations in order?

Reply by Julie/MI on 9/11/06 9:52pm
Msg #145304

Excellent Suggestions, keep them coming!

My sister is due April 1.

My other sister and brother also do closings, but none of us have had this happen before. My sibilings do not frequent the boreds, so I threw out the question, so she didn't have to register.

Thanks to all of your emails, excellent and very smart!!!!!!!

Reply by Sylvia_FL on 9/11/06 9:56pm
Msg #145305

Re: Excellent Suggestions, keep them coming!

Congrats to your sister Julie. April 1st was my mother's birthday

Reply by BrendaTx on 9/12/06 10:05am
Msg #145434

Re: Excellent Suggestions, keep them coming!

Ah ha - then my congrats in the email I sent go to your sister.

Reply by ReneeK_MI on 9/12/06 5:33am
Msg #145388

another long-winded opinion from me ...=)

I took a maternity leave from my career that lasted 14 years. When I returned to the working world, it was back to the bottom rung, but I climbed back in no time ("driven" - also defined as "classic over-achiever/workaholic". Life is full of irony - once I'd found the ladder-rung that I'd set my sights on as defining "success" - I realized I was wrong. It was NOT "success" for ME. I don't wonder very often what differences there'd have been in my life, had I remained 'on career' those 14 years - I wonder what differences there'd have been in the lives of my children. I wonder - would I have given up all the influence I was able to have with them, as a 'stay-at-home mom', only to find out that (for ME) I'd wasted 14 ADDITIONAL years chasing something that was meaningless??

Some mothers don't have this option, or don't have it for as long as I was blessed with it, and that's a whole different set of questions. My questions were different than the ones you've posed:

What would I rather have - greater financial ease, or being able to stand in the road and wave my children off to their adult life, feeling I'd truly done the best I could do?

I/we "sacrificed" a lot of stuff that some folks take as givens. I push-mowed almost an acre of lawn, couldn't afford a riding mower, never had a dishwasher, new furniture or new cars, no traveling, etc. Wasn't really a sacrifice - meaning, I didn't give up anything I really wanted or needed in the first place.

Now, being on the other side of both issues (out of the 'career' thing and both kids being grown adults) - I am SO GLAD I did what I did. I am so relieved to be able to feel for the rest of my life that I did the absolute best I could do, as a mom. I have all the 'luxuries' now - the new cars, traveling, dishwasher, another career, whatever - AND peace w/o regret.

One of my children had extraordinary needs - and there is NO WAY that I would want to be standing here right now, feeling "if only I'd been there, if only I'd made them the most important thing, if only I'd been willing to give up things I thought I needed ..."

To the mothers and fathers who have little option - my heart goes out to you. I don't for a minute lose sight of the fact that not everyone has the same options.

Reply by Dennis D Broadbooks on 9/12/06 6:16am
Msg #145391

If I May Join In From a Male Perspective...

When my wife & I had our 1st child 13 years ago we made the decision for Joyce to be a stay at home mom. She had previously been a secondary school teacher for 10 years & it would have been somewhat of an easy "financial" decision for her to return to her position when the pregnancy leave was over. Looking back we've never regretted for one moment the choice we made to have her home with our now 4 children. I couldn't agree more with your defining of the word "success" to not mean keeping up with the Jones' financially. There are far greater rewards in life than money & one of them is the legacy you leave your children with. Nice post, Renee.

Reply by Dorothy_MI on 9/12/06 8:54am
Msg #145420

Excellent Post Renee

When my daughter was little I did not have the luxury of making that decision. I will tell you though that I felt constantly as if I was being torn in two, needing to work and still trying to be Mom. It can be done, as long as you don't want to sleep! My daughter was faced with the same dilema when her first child was born, but chose to stay at home most of the time (a few part time jobs when husband could be home to baby sit). However, she also had the luxury of a mother who had a good job and "helped" her family financially. Along the way, her goals changed and when the 4 children were older decided to go back to school, not to pursue her original path in marketing, but went to nursing school. She's now an RN, loves it, and can schedule her work around the lives of her now 5 children (oh, yeah, big surprise when your oldest is 18!!). Anyway, this is a decision that only the people involved can make and each case is different.

Reply by Gary_CA on 9/12/06 9:35am
Msg #145428

A different male perspective

Hmmm... maybe or maybe the same perspective...

I'm thirtyeleven and happily single so I can't tell you anything from a dad perspective, but I can from a son perspective...

Mom stayed home till I was about 15 or so, my little brother would have been 10. All the good stuff Renee and Dan? (oops can't see, can't remember, sorry bud) posted is true enough. Being a mom is important and full time.

But mom wasn't quite happy just being mom... Dad insisted, partly for the kids, partly because of his "breadwinner" image/beliefs.

Long about my 15th year mom took a job as a travel agent and travel agent trainer. She loved it and it showed. She was happier, we were happier. Some of the mom things were hired out and some we did ourselves, that was all good. All the mothering that can't be hired out was done after long hours.

Now, obviously, I had a stay at home mom almost my whole life, and even my bro had her there through the important years... so she's not really a working mom example...

Just to say it can work both ways and sometimes a job is the best thing in her world.

Reply by Elizabeth Soliday on 9/12/06 10:09am
Msg #145437

Suggestion

Your sister could work part-time like I do. I have two boys age 4 and 8 who I stay home with. My little one is in preschool a few times a week and I homeschool my older boy.

If she is interested in staying home, she could work a couple nights a week just to get out of the house, it's nice to have the break and talk to other adults. (Assuming dad/friend/relative can watch the baby at night.)

This job works great for me and I have small kids.