For women in pursuit of motherhood and a career | Irene Mora | TED Institute

Thank you for this. I need this at this very moment. We need to meet your mother!

I needed to hear this. 🥲 Onward to be a better mom!

This is beautiful. A reminder is always needed when you forget. Thank you for sharing ❤️

Dope story should do another one

Sounds like a fantasy.

Invite someone that this setup did not work, to know the other side. Could be a worthy insight.

It's very difficult to have both and be good at both at the same time. We women are just humans not superwoman. But we get judged whatever we choose. If we are educated and end up stay at home mothers friends judge us saying is it all you do? You are throwing all out the window. When we work full time we are judged because we don't spend enough time with our kids. It's a very difficult topic and I'm not sure what is best. I just remember as a child I always needed my mum at home. When she started part time jobs I was really unhappy that a stranger was takinging care of us. Fundamentally I think it's important for mothers to be with their children, that's how nature is. Choosing a big career with small kids I still think it's selfish à bit if she lives in different cities etc. I felt the girl at Ted talk was proud of her mum but sad that she wasn't her priority.

I needed to hear this as a mom thinking of a better career. Thanks!

Virtual mom.

This is very touching and I love Ms Mora's candor.

like many say here, yes it is a touching speech because she's obviously speaking from the heart. However I believe that if her mother would have not made her career her priority that this daughter would have appreciated so much. I'm sure if asked if she would have preferred for her mother to be there in person instead of in spirit. I have a hard time believing that you "turned out ok" after being labeled " the motherless child". I think this woman is forgiving and kind and tries to make the best of her situation but really why do so many women do this where they choose their careers over the raising of their children. Is it because this is considered " success" ? Why can't raising your children be a success, why is it not enough ?

I would pray that I have a daughter like you whenever I become a mother...!! Cheers to you for taking such a positive perspective and being able to look at the true love of your Mom beyond everything else.. !!

Career mothers are diamonds 💎 👏 ❤

sorry but this sounds like a terrible childhood. And she said it herself she was a motherless child..

i can hear in her voice such composure and confidence and understanding of herself and the world she is part of and the gift of ... ye i cant bs any more than that

Wow, this was beautiful, inspiring and filled with love. This touched me so much.

My mother was working all the time, and never once did I felt loved or like she had the time to help me out with anything. Maybe some people disagree with Irene Mora, but to me this sounds amazing.

She give the energy of that she was a victim of abuse. She looks traumatised.

Thank you for confirming that no matter what children will always love their mothers and never judge them for professional choices they make.

Just a lie she's trying to convince herself.

It is the other way around these days . You are considered as a lazy person . Who took care of you while she worked all week ? You are so wrong !!!!!!! Don’t knock a traditional mother . Just because you have a career doesn’t mean you are a better mother . You mother was never therefor you . What a whole lot of bS .

My mom was 36 when my parents adopted me, and she quickly realized that motherhood wasn't for her. She later told me 'I was too smart to just sit at home'. She was a teacher and that job took all of her energy- even on weekends she had to do work. She was stressed out all the time and I was an afterthought. She has no idea who I am as a person. I was put in daycare before and after school until I was 10, and then after that I have been completely on my own after school and you can just imagine all the things I got myself into without supervision or care. I'd never have children AND a job.

Thank you for the wonderful message, I found it so encouraging ❤ exactly what I needed to hear 👌🏻 - Jill

She sounds like someone who had a full time nanny and idolizes an image more than the person.

She sounds like someone who had a full time nanny and idolizes an image more than the person. Giving someone your time is love.

At the end of the day who raised the child? That’s the biggest problem society schools friends etc because mothers choosing career over a family! Why make family if ur not gonna be a mother?!!! I kind u not u have father playing they roles as father providing for his kids and u got the mother playing the same role as the father last time I check a mother raise the child not the provider when did the mother become the father? I really don’t like this public schools teach kids the same stuff honestly should be teaching boys how to be a men and husband a father and teach girls to be women wife’s and mothers

as a mum with career I wish I would love this video but no. We are talking about motherhood AND career in this talk but I only heard about career, I do believe there’s a line that you can draw to maximise both sides. Unless the speaker is encouraging working mothers to be never home for their kids.
And for Irene’s situation where her mum is never home and dad’s also working, does it mean that she took care of herself since born or she was one of the privileged ones that have nannies to take care of her? This is just not applicable to most of the working moms which are not CEOs.
Finally to Irene, don’t live under the shadow as “your mum’s daughter”. You didn’t get to choose which country to move to or when to move when you were young, but you can choose to speak in a ted talk about yourself instead of about being your mum’s daughter. You have a beautiful soul and very positive perspective of life, that is gold ❤

Studies show that when the mom is away from her kids more than 30 hours a week then the mental health of the kids suffer but you can still be the CEO of a company working less than 30 hours a week. I do!

You know us kids just want a strong relationship with our mother. But the career can get in the way. So why she’s working on her career the kid is getting older without any connection to that mother.

she is trying to sell the idea as better than taking on full time motherhood. just stop.

I guess...
Women could have like 3 or 4 children and after they grow up a little, they start taking care of each other. Would have to kinda put off work for some years. And, to be honest, don't go for career if possible unless you're actually passionate about it. You would be drained if you're pursuing career only for money.

Very sad TED talk. After some good therapy, she'll understand. These definitely weren't words of wisdom.
She basically is doing the laugh until you cry dance...

Thank you for sharing your story! Many times I felt guilty and asked myself if I was not failing my son.

Actually, past 5-years-old if a child only has one parent it's definitely better for it to be the father. Look it up. It's probably why she turned out so good! LOL!

I disagree , working mom out of home can't balnce between motherhood and career , motherhood is more important ❤❤

I understand the desire to build a career, make money, be successful and always move to the next level professionally. To some extend, I’m driven by this same ambition. But I also know how it feels to be the only kid in school that is not picked up on time or who doesn’t have lunch packed for them. That’s why I strongly believe in moderation. Sometimes adults get too absorbed with their own objectives and put themselves first, above family’s needs. To some extend that is understandable because having children doesn’t mean and shouldn’t mean that you as an individual disappear, but sometimes people’s pursuit of career success becomes almost an obsession and the children’s needs aren’t taken into consideration anymore. Beware of extremes in life…. They hardly bring any good.

Personally I disagree, I don't think it's ideal for mothers to work that much, I think the primary focus should be the family and not their career, but I still loved hearing her perspective! It's evident her mother loved her very much and taught her so much.

To be honest i dont buy this

I know for a fact that if aia give up my career to be a mother and I end up not working at all and just staying home, I will hate my life and resent my children. I need to have both especially - a means of income to contribute at home and do the things I want to do career-wise. Being a SAHM has never been an option for me. I see what it has done to all the women in my life and none of them are better for it. I respect SAHM and advice anyone to do what feels right for them but, giving up my career to be a mother doesn't feel right for me. I will always prioritize my family and will do that as I keep building my career, whatever that may be

Mommy made a robot

Your body language is telling us another story.

Did the aunt who came with the gasoline have to apply for a half days leave?

career destroy most women and they always end up being depressed

The woman is only speaking of a very small % of life (granted large for her) and not in an integrated, whole or holistic way, hence doesn't seem to be in touch with herself. Not surprising considering her upbringing or lack there of. She seems a bit child like and shows strong signs of being enmeshed with her mother, hence not having her own identity. There is nothing authentic or independent about becoming a CEO or having a healthy mental state of mind, it is just more of the same. Her mother may have NPD as it's obvious she's always been more concerned preoccupied with her personal internal life rather then spending time on the healthy development of her family especially her children. Instead of being the parent/caregiver to her children she demanded her children to be her parent her caregiver instead (that's narcissistic personally disorder to the core, many CEO's rich and powerful also have NPD), can we see this? The children missed out on a mother nurturing which a mother only gets one chance at! Needless to say it's not right for a mother to force her children to put her emotional and psychological needs before her children's emotional and psychological needs especially during the most important developmental years of her children life. Business before children's wellbeing, you think so? Because more women are choosing a career could this be part of the reason why increasingly more adult relationships and families (societies) are falling apart (contributing to conflict and violence), becoming more fragmented, distant? Societies natural backlash to the so called modern women's movement thinking and ways of doing is certainly gaining momentum including from within women's own groups, how can it not be?

This woman was unable to include when things didn't go well between her and her mother which is a a big red flag confirms or tells us she's from a very early been enmeshed with her mother by her mother not allowing her to develop her own identity. The worst part is that her mothers convinced her to promote other women to seek to pursuit a career over starting a family. In a nutshell this is the outcome of brainwashing a child at it's finessed. I say this with confidence because I've witnessed this type of brainwashing over a period of 30+years myself, it's shocking and stems from NPD narcissistic personality disorder

Best to have an opinion once this woman is further down the road with her life and relationsships, It's very damaging never good when the child has to play a supporting roll to the parent, becomes the partner/parent to their single parent mum. She's betraying her kids robbing them of a healthy identity psychology and emotional welbeing, think of it.

How terribly sad...

This video should have more views. Lovely.