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Mothers Who Dream |
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About the Author
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Ann Butenas: Not a
Robot Ann Butenas has held many odd jobs. She was a nanny, taught tennis, worked in the entertainment industry and as a paralegal for an insurance defense firm. After getting married, she went back to school to earn a B.S. in Communications and a post-bachelor paralegal certificate. She also earned her Master's in Business Management, attending school nights and working days, during her first two pregnancies. "A Ph.D. is out of the question," teases Butenas. "I'm afraid it will lead to twins!" Teasing aside, Butenas calls herself a "Type A" personality. "I love complete cleanliness and organization," says this mother of three boys who hosts her own weekly radio show in Kansas City called "Right at Home with Ann." Butenas has capitalized on her natural organization skills by creating a parents' binder to keep children's records. The binder is sold in stores all over the world. She is also on the faculty of Baker University, serves on the Board for the Kansas City Press Club, owns ANZ, publications and does freelance writing. Whew! To accomplish so much, Butenas excels at multitasking -- the way most mothers do. She often brings her sons along to the studio. There she interviews celebrities and regular moms on her radio show for work-at-home/stay-at-home parents. "It isn't uncommon for me to maintain the fluidity of a live interview while changing a diaper," she says. But there's a downside to any continuous balancing act, and it's no different for Butenas. Juggling so many plates, she sometimes feels as if she never accomplishes everything as fully as she'd like. She sleeps less, doesn't eat as healthfully as she intends to, and has a difficult time telling herself it's "okay" to let some things slide. "I still think I can do it all. . . all the time," she says. But Butenas admits frustration. "I am not a robot." Yet, she sometimes feels as if she must perform like one. Sound familiar? Butenas's story is similar to many mothers who juggle home and work chores with community involvement and their own high standards. Many of us feel guilty if our homes aren't spotless, our children don't have a six-course meal three times a day, and we aren't perpetually available, at our family's beckon call. But Butenas is right. We aren't robots. Trading time off from family chores like the laundry so we can work toward our own worthwhile goals and dreams -- or even to rest -- is not wrong. Our example can hold positive lessons for our children, too. Butenas recognizes that good effect. "My sons are learning the value of the work ethic," she says. The Mothers Who Dream philosophy also bets they're learning the importance of following their dreams. Butenas is learning to let the dust pile up a little, and to stifle any feelings of failure that result. She derives great joy from videotaping her boys during shared activities nearly every day, and looks forward to a tangible keepsake to show them and their children later. This special together time she spends with her sons each day is far more important than laundry hiding in the hamper or an occasional cereal bar breakfast rather than a hot cooked meal.
To find out more about Ann Butenas,
visit her website:
ANZ
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