by; Adrienne Aaron, LCSW
I was raised in a home where I was taught “A woman can have it all.” Loving marriage, healthy children, successful career, a house in the suburbs, money in the bank and personal satisfaction and fulfillment. I was raised by amazing parents. But my mother has always been my role model. She was a great wife, successful career woman (eventual business owner in Manhattan), Girl scout cookie mom, and had time to do things she enjoyed. She figured out how to have it all.
As I became an adult, I began to ask myself, “how did she pull this off?” To just name a few of the items on her weekly routine...she went to work every day, made sure we had balanced meals, went on date nights with my father, transported us to piano lessons, sports teams, dance classes and school events... How could she could still make time for herself? -All while keeping her sanity.
What I learned many years later was that she would seek out therapy when things did not go well in her life. She wasn’t ashamed to seek out a marriage counselor when she needed help and she found a therapist to help her through parenting issues with her unruly teenage daughter. She went to therapy when she became a widow at 48 years old and became a single mother over night. She knew when she needed help and wasn’t afraid to find it. This was somewhat taboo for Members of the African American community, but my mother has always been way ahead of her time. She knew in order to have it all, she had to be willing to get help when she needed.
As woman, can we have it all? It appears that we can. We can learn how to cultivate healthy marriages. We can learn to raise well balanced children. We can achieve professional successes in the career of our choosing. Sometimes we need assistance with achieving these goals.
Over the past 18 years, Adrienne Aaron has had the opportunity to work with individuals during difficult and challenging times. She uses a narrative approach and a solution-focused model to help clients achieve their goals in life. Adrienne currently practices with New Leaf Counseling Group in Charlotte, NC. Feel free to read more information about Adrienne here.
