“It’s hard to combine motherhood and careers, but it’s possible.” Recipe by “BusyMom”

On the map of Yerevan, a new place has recently been added with a completely new idea, which is especially for women with little children. The “BusyMom” symbolic center offers them to make the birth of a child not only a happy motherhood, but also a period of individual development.

Here, “busy moms” come together with their children, and while the kids play and have fun in a room, the mothers in the other room get the knowledge they need for their future career. The first seminar-meeting, organized by “Busy Mom” in this format, was with MP Mane Tandilyan. She shared her experience with mothers and told them how to overcome one of the most important choices in the life of a woman –  family or career, and be able to combine them both.

“Employment in the family and the upbringing of children should never interfere with the development of women and their personality,” Mane Tandilyan addressed to the seminar participants. She also told about her difficulties: she was admitted to the American University of Armenia during the second child pregnancy, and during the days of the examinations, an ambulance car used to be there on duty next to the university. According to Tandilyan, this was the first case in the history of the educational institution, but it was a conscious and decisive decision: not to detach from life and at the same time not to abandon maternal pleasure. Although she admits that at first she had to stop her professional life and deal with only children. But at some point she understood that it was not wrong or right but it was not helpful either to her or to the child and to the family. Finally, she says, she can sacrifice her, but as a result, her baby is hit. The child, according to the MP, is losing much when the mother cuts her life and lives only with the child’s life.

“Yes, it’s hard to combine maternity and career, especially in our country, but it’s possible if you really appreciate your resources and capabilities. I am well aware of what mothers go through and what sacrifices they make: it can be understood only by a mother. But we are not victims … Women should understand one thing: hard work, employment, devotion, which is important and part of our lives, but in parallel we continue to work, educate, communicate with friends, and artificially interrupt it the worst thing, what can happen to us and our families, “said the deputy.

Mane Tandilyan mentioned that she knows all the obstacles that women face when they want to return to work after their maternity leave. It’s about a serious psychological problem of finding a nanny and trusting a child, because the nannies are affecting your child’s upbringing. The point is also about the employer’s attitude that starts asking questions that are not related to work ethics. Tandilyan is convinced that in dealing with such issues, women should not lose confidence, they must be sure that they are ready to work and are responsible. She says it’s not easy, but it’s the way.

“As a citizen, I used to see my role in the following model: to educate right children, not to break laws, to go to work and pay taxes. But from time to time, I realized that it was not enough because I did not agree with those people who make decisions. And that is why I went into politics and tried to change my reality by my intervention. And not only my, but also reality of many people. It is difficult, because politics is one of the fields in Armenia that is considered a male monopoly, but I always say, as long as the case does not involve physically raising 80 kg from the ground, it is not a special case for men, and if it is especially about intelligence, it is more likely to be female job.

This is a men’s world and we must be able to make it all the world of people. That’s why women should be self-confident, believe in their strength and realize their potential, “she added.

As to the “BusyMom” project, it plans to provide HR Management course that will enable women in child care to learn the skills needed to stay competitive in the modern labor market. The format is the same: while the moms learn, the child is playing in the next room and developing with the help of a professional …

Full text in Armenian