Originally shared as Issue #28 of Modern Mom Notes, my weekly newsletter for moms navigating the beautiful chaos of early parenthood.
It's International Women's Day, and your feed is probably full of powerful women doing extraordinary things. CEOs. Activists. Changemakers.
And you? You got your toddler dressed this morning. Maybe after giggles and snuggles at bath time. Maybe after the fourth meltdown of the week.
That's the work I want to talk about today.
The Work That Doesn't Trend
The highlight reels will show the woman who launched a company, gave a keynote, broke a glass ceiling.
They won't show:
The woman who chose her kids over the promotion
The one who left her career and is rebuilding herself from scratch
The mom who's been up since 5am because that's when her toddler decided the day starts
The parent juggling freelance work during nap time because full-time childcare isn't an option
The work you do doesn't photograph well. It doesn't get press releases.
But it's the work that keeps the world turning.
“Your work doesn't need a stage. It just needs to keep happening.”
Strength Looks Different at 3 am
I had an important meeting on my calendar. I'd prepped for days.
The night before, my toddler developed the worst ear infection. Crying. Unable to sleep. Fever climbing. At 3am, we were both restless.
I held him. Sang the same song three times. Stayed somewhat calm even though I was exhausted and anxious and Googling symptoms in the dark.
No one saw that. No pat on my back. No award ceremony.
But that's strength. The kind that doesn't get celebrated but gets done.
International Women's Day will celebrate ambition. And it should.
But let's also celebrate endurance.
The woman who stays. Who shows up. Who does the invisible, unglamorous work of raising beautiful humans while also trying to remember and stay connected with who she is outside of that role.
You're doing both
If you're a working mom, you're code-switching all day:
Morning: Negotiating breakfast. Getting your family ready and out on time.
9am call: Professional. Composed. "Yes, I can take that meeting."
Lunch: Back to toddler mode. Snack negotiations. Emotional regulation (theirs and yours).
Evening: Dinner. Cleanup. Bedtime resistance. Finally sitting down at 8pm only to realize you haven't thought about yourself all day.
This is the double shift no one talks about on IWD.
If you left your career to raise kids, you're navigating a different kind of challenge:
The loss of identity. The financial dependence. The "what do you do?" question at parties that makes you feel invisible. The love for your kids mixed with the grief of what you gave up.
This complexity doesn't make the highlight reel either.
Which One Are You?
Working parent juggling both worlds? Stay-at-home parent rebuilding identity?
Hit reply and tell me. I want to hear your story.
One Thing To Remember Today
You don't need to be "celebrated" to be valuable.
The world will celebrate the loud, visible wins today.
And those matter. But so does the quiet strength of:
Staying patient when you want to scream
Choosing your child's needs over your own
Getting up and doing it all over tomorrow
Building a life that doesn't look like anyone else's definition of success
That's power too.
International Women's Day is for you — the woman who won't make the headlines but will make breakfast, make peace with chaos, and make it through another day of loving fiercely and feeling unseen.
“The work that doesn't trend is often the work that matters most.”
One Thing To Try This Week
Today, do one small thing just for you. Not productive. Not for your kids. Just for you.
10 minutes of coffee in silence
A walk around the block alone
Ordering the fancy latte instead of the regular one
Texting a friend just to say you're thinking of them
It doesn't have to be big. It just has to be yours.
Before You Go
What's the invisible work you do that no one celebrates? The thing you show up for every single day that doesn't get applause?
I want to know. Because that work deserves to be named.
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Modern Mom Notes
Comment Below and Tell Me
What's the unglamorous work you did today that kept your family running?
I read every single reply. Your story matters.
Until next time,
Aradhana