When I started to write this post, I hoped to share my experiences regarding my recent trip to Washington DC as the 2012 Ohio delegate for Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress on Education.
It was, in fact, an amazing experience complete with a powerful group of mothers representing every state across the country and the District of Columbia - all of whom reflected diverse backgrounds in education advocacy and education policy.
Yet I struggled.
I struggled to effectively write down my experiences here until I landed on this quote presented by one of the conference speakers:
“If you want to go somewhere quickly, go by yourself.
If you want to go far,
you bring someone with you.”
~ Sean Slade, Director of Whole Child Programs, ASCD
This quote spoke to me.
As a parent, I immediately related to the first part of this quote. For example, going grocery shopping is SO much quicker when you are able to do it by yourself - without dragging your kids along. Agreed?
In parenting, sometimes speed is of the essence. There are definite, circumstantial needs for speed. (Such as when effectively grocery shopping!) Yet speed can only take you so far… to go the distance in parenting, most times you also need support.
But what does this have to do with education and education advocacy?
Support: The Slow but Steady Road to Success
After thinking over this quote that had resonated so much with me, I realized why I was struggling to share my experiences with you.
I thought I should be writing about education and education advocacy (the conference’s topic) when in reality what I truly wanted to share had absolutely nothing to do with education and education advocacy.
Instead, it had everything to do with parenting support and motherhood.
Suddenly what I felt was more important to share was not necessarily a quick day-by-day recap of my amazing trip and all the incredible ways I learned to help advocate for education - but instead the slow realization of how the conference changed and influenced me as a mom.
So, there are many things I learned while attending Parenting Magazine’s Mom Congress on Education, but this is what I’ve decided is most important to share with you.
Reflection #1: It Takes a Village…
Did you know that Murphy’s Law states that at least one of your children MUST get sick or hurt prior to any parent’s need to leave the house for an extended period of time?
YES. It’s true. (I swear!)
And of course that is exactly what happened in my household prior to my leaving for Washington DC - my youngest contracted an infection which left him quarantined within the confines of our home the entire time I was gone.
I know you may be wondering… Did I FREAK OUT?
No. (Okay, well mostly no.)
And that is primarily because my husband and mother-in-law, who were holding down the fort while I was away didn’t freak out. Instead, they calmly said, “Go! We can handle this. Go and enjoy this amazing opportunity.”
Their support, allowed me to leave for this incredible conference.
Lesson Learned: Support is about way more than just physically helping out - it also is about mentally helping out. (a.k.a. If you don’t freak out, I won’t freak out… sorta.)
Reflection #2: You Deserve, and Will Always Deserve, to Feel Confident and Empowered
These words were given to me as a gift from my co-worker Valerie Young - who writes about politics through the lens of motherhood for the National Association of Mothers’ Centers at Your (Wo)man in Washington.
Valerie wrote these words in response to a thank you email I sent her for meeting me out for lunch shortly before the beginning of the conference. Surely she did not mean these words to be a “gift” - yet that is how they impacted me.
“You deserve, and will always deserve, to feel confident and empowered.”
That’s what she said. And these words completely summed up what our luncheon had done for me - given me confidence.
I often “talk the talk” of confidence, but find it difficult to “walk the walk.” Prior to the conference, I was a big bundle of nerves. Yet after meeting up with Valerie and another woman I admire for a great lunch to casually discuss mothering, politics, preschoolers, power, motherhood, work, aspirations, motherhood (and oh, did I mention motherhood?) I was really given the boost of self confidence and support that I needed to enter the Mom Congress feeling like I belonged there.
Lesson Learned: We all deserve to be confident, and we all need to be reminded of this sometimes.
Valerie and I just around the block from where we ate lunch - in front of a big, white house 
Reflection #3: Recognition of My True Passion
Towards the beginning of the conference the US Secretary of Education, Arne Duncan, shared a story encompassing what he had learned from his mother about education as a child. I sent this Tweet out capturing the quote as I heard it:
Writing this quote down is when I realized where my true passion lies.
As much as I enjoy (and will continue to enjoy) actively volunteering in my children’s school and working on issues affecting our local school district, this isn’t my #1 passion. I went into the conference expecting to come out as an “education advocacy superstar,” and instead, came out realizing that my true passion is in parenting and motherhood.
Arne Duncan’s story about what he learned from his own mother reminded me how much power we as parents really have.
And one of our biggest powers is that with a little bit of time, patience and support, we are able to provide our children with opportunities.
Lesson Learned: Things happen for a reason, and sometimes that reason is not what you initially expected it to be.
The Need for Speed, but the Power of Distance
There will always be the “need for speed,” but I believe there is way more power in longevity and distance - especially when it comes to parenting and motherhood.
Mom Congress taught me many significant lessons, but my most important insight seems to have been the power of support. As parents we need to allow people to support us both physically and mentally. We need to remember that we deserve to be confident. And we shouldn’t forget the importance of empowering every parent to feel that they can give their children and themselves the opportunities they deserve.
What could be a more powerful lesson than that?
Thank you Mom Congress.
Leave a Comment: How has the support of others helped you? Have you ever gone into an experience with certain expectations and come out on the other side with a completely different end result?
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Great post Kate! I love when you go into a situation expecting one thing and get something completely different out of it. And I LOVED the two quotes:
“If you want to go somewhere quickly, go by yourself. If you want to go far, you bring someone with you.” ~ Sean Slade, Director of Whole Child Programs, ASCD
“You deserve, and will always deserve, to feel confident and empowered.” ~ Valerie Young
Thanks for sharing
It was an amazing experience Tatum!