The Art of being a “good enough” Mom in a World of High Standards

The Art of being a “good enough” Mom in a World of High Standards

, Your expert, Events Of The International Women's Union
A successful woman comes to see me at a reception. Behind her — a brilliant career, completed projects, the respect of colleagues. But in her eyes — tears. She held it together through every deadline, withstood any negotiation. And that morning she snapped at her son over some scattered socks. "I'm a bad mother," she says. And I hear this from my clients again and again. We live in an era of high parental standards. Social media, blogs, and expert channels daily show us the portrait of the ideal mother: always calm, always smiling, always knowing the right answer. She bakes healthy desserts, builds trusting relationships with her child, keeps her voice steady, and still makes it to yoga class. This image is beautiful, but it is far from real…
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Diplomacy within the family: the art of negotiation with the main opponent, a teenager

Diplomacy within the family: the art of negotiation with the main opponent, a teenager

, Events Of The International Women's Union
In our professional work, we often use the concepts of "crisis intervention", "search for consensus" and "de-escalation of conflict". At the negotiating tables, in "hot" moments, these skills really help to find a mutual solution. But returning home, many of us successful and powerful women suddenly discover that the most difficult negotiator is our own child, who sometimes throws ultimatums on the table or silently slams the door of the room. Why do the principles of diplomatic etiquette, which we brilliantly use at work, fail in communicating with our own children? And how, finally, to conclude a "non-aggression pact" in the family, ceasing to be the attorney general, but becoming an ally? I'll draw a parallel that has saved me and my colleagues more than once. Negotiating with a teenager…
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