Aviation for Women is the flagship member publication of Women in Aviation International. Articles feature women who have made aviation history, professional development ideas, and current-topic articles.
Issue link: https://afwdigital.epubxp.com/i/715635
Ask for help. I can't help you if you don't want to be helped. I know there are some parents out there who think they can do it all, and that they have to do it all. Some people want the bragging rights of saying they do it all, but what does that really get them other than exhaustion? Some people don't want others to help because they only like it done their way, but I will tell you that clean socks are clean socks even if someone else has a different way of washing them. Team up for success and try not to fixate on how the other person does it, but instead just the fact that stuff is getting done. Next, involve the kids. It turns out that they actually can set and clear a table, fold and put away their own laundry, water the garden, pack their lunches, and take out the trash. Finally, there is no shame in getting help from outside the home from either relatives, friends, or paid help. In the last week alone, I've asked my parents to pick up my kids from an activity, asked a friend to grab me the chicken I forgot to buy at the store (she was heading there anyway), and paid two wonderful people to clean my house, which they have done for me every other week for the last six years. Slow down and enjoy the ride. As crazy as it all can be, be sure to slow down and find something to enjoy about each day. I'm known to many people for always saying that "today is the best day ever" and that "my favorite day is whatever day today is." I really mean that. While we are definitely passionate about being aviation professionals the work will always be there and the kids are growing fast. Even on our worst day, when nothing seems to be going right, my kids are evidence that my husband and I have done some- thing pretty incredible in raising them to be the pretty cool kids they are today. It makes me sad when I see how quickly time has passed. My oldest is going into seventh grade. How many years of back- to-school do we have left? How many more first days of school where I have both boys stand in the same spot mak- ing the same pose for the camera that they've done since kindergarten? Soon enough I'll trade my flip-flops for snow boots and get my hairdryer back out and watch as the boys carry home heavy book bags and forms for me to fill out. In the meantime, I refer us all back to Step 1: Stay calm and breathe. I'll be looking for that candle that smells like the ocean and applying coconut-scented lotion to remind me that the easy days of summer will eventually return. I'll also be counting down the days to winter break! ✈ . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Joanne M. Damato, WAI 6829, is a mom, pilot, and director of operations and educational development for NBAA. Make a master calendar. In aviation we live and die by our calendars, so chances are you already depend on this step. Experience world class flight training by ATP Flight School in the professional pilot program at Arizona State University. With ASU academics and ATP's airline-oriented flight training, students prepare for successful professional pilot careers. Arizona's clear skies and ATP's modern fleet keep your flight training on schedule.