I came back to work when my children were two months old. At that early age, they seem to have little awareness of anybody but their Raggedy Ann dolls, so it wasn't a matter of them missing me. I was missing them.
Interpretation
The quote reflects the emotional bond between a parent and their young children, emphasizing the parent's feelings of absence more than the children's awareness.
In this quote, Jane Pauley expresses the poignant reality of a parent's return to work shortly after childbirth, capturing the bittersweet nature of early parenthood. While her children are too young to truly miss her, she articulates a deep sense of longing and emotional connection, highlighting how strong parental love can lead to feelings of separation and loss, even when children are too young to understand.
In practice
In a parenting workshop, to illustrate the complexities of returning to work after having a baby.
I've come to recognize what I call my 'inside interests.' Telling stories. And helping people tell their stories is a sort of interpersonal gardening. My work at NBC News was to report the news, but in hindsight, I often tried to look for some insight to share that might spark a moment of recognition in a viewer.
There might be false starts and do-overs.You are entitled to experiment before you find your calling.
Kids learn more from example than from anything you say; I'm convinced they learn very early not to hear anything you say, but to watch what you do.
When I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder the year I turned 50, it was certainly a shock. But as a journalist, knowing a little bit about a lot of things, I didn't suffer the misconception that depression was all in my head or a mark of poor character. I knew it was a disease, and, like all diseases, was treatable.
The years after 50 can be a time of great productivity, meaningful work, pleasure, creativity, and innovation. It's a huge opportunity.
A diagnosis is burden enough without being burdened by secrecy and shame.
My father wasn't a cruel man. And I loved him. But he was a pretty tough character. His own father was even tougher - one of those Victorians, hard as iron - but my dad was tough enough.
My family is no different from yours. We may be different from the geography that we come from. Some of you all may pray differently than I do, some of you all may be from a different ethnicity, but we all have the same story.
If you have a child, I said, you have a responsibility at least to stay alive.
I knew it was going to be the most extraordinary thing in my life, but how powerful it is, you can never know until you have a baby.
When I was diagnosed with cancer at age 22, I learned just how much cancer affects families when it affects individuals.
The child supplies the power but the parents have to do the steering.
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