Notes from the New Generation
May Edition
Dear Counsel,
May has started to look a bit different for me than it normally has historically. For those of you who don’t know, I’m a mom to a beautiful one-year-old. Being a full time mom and an attorney has been a joy but it’s changed much about me. Ever since I could remember, I thought my only purpose in life was to become an attorney, to fight for justice and make the world a better place. And as much as that still may be true, something in me shifted the moment I held my daughter.
For the first time in my life, my success wasn’t measured by my accolades or accomplishments. Suddenly, the most important thing I could ever become in this life filled with so many changes was someone’s safe place. Someone’s comfort. Someone’s home. Overnight, the most important title I could ever have was “mom.”
Motherhood has changed me in ways I’d never expect, but mostly, it’s changed the type of attorney I thought I’d be.
Being a mom has made my patience skyrocket, but above all, I’m simply more aware of truly what clients go through. Because now, when a client comes to me with their sorrows; oftentimes exhausted, anxious, or scared, I understand what it feels like to hold the weight of an entire world on your shoulders while still trying to function every day.
When someone comes to me with an issue that may feel like the end of the world in that difficult time, I feel their pain on a deeper level. And although this may weigh down on me sometimes, I find myself fighting for them ten times harder. In this emotional whirlwind, I often think of my own mom, “is this the superpower moms have?”
And maybe that’s why this Mother’s Day specifically felt so emotional to me.
Not because of all the lovely celebrations, because I finally understood the quiet strength of mothers in a way I never fully could before. I look towards my colleagues who are moms and the resilience they exemplify on a daily basis. You juggle being an advocate for your clients and an amazing mom all while doing it with style. And while “mom guilt” can creep in, I hope you realize the example you are setting for our future generation.
Especially attorney mothers.
The women who spend their days advocating fiercely for others while simultaneously carrying the invisible labor of motherhood behind the scenes. The moms who go directly on grind mode when nap time starts, skillfully preparing for hearings after sleepless nights, and somehow still showing up composed and capable every single day.
I have always admired strong women. But becoming a mother has taught me that strength is often much quieter than we think, and wrapped up in someone so integral in our lives, a mom.
So to all you hard working moms out there and the mothers who, like me, feel perpetually stretched thin while still giving every piece of themselves to their people.
From one mom to another, thank you.
Until next time,
Steph, Esq.
