I became that woman: the one who had talents in so many areas, but is now a self sacrificing stay at home mom. I am trying to figure out how to get out of that box, and don't want my daughter to lose her fire.
First, a caution about over-identifying with our children and working to prevent our own history from repeating itself. Your daughter may find her stride in identifying as the assistant to the teacher. It may give her confidence, a respected role with her peers. My daughter is the total opposite of me, and I have had to learn to embrace her differences and support what makes her thrive no matter how much it makes me cringe inside.
As to being a stay-at-home mom - it can be liberating and a perfect opportunity to blossom professionally if you explore outside-of-the-box options. I started a freelancing writing career and ran my own writing business for ten years before launching a tech startup that was recognized as one of the top ten hottest mobile startups of 2010 at a major mobile convention that year. I do not say this at all to brag, but to say that if you have a Harvard degree, you already have more behind you than I did. I LOVE being a stay-at-home mom, because it lets me be there for my kids and gives me the freedom to work from home on my time and around my schedule.
What are you passionate about? What can you contribute to that field without sacrificing your freedom of being at home? Is it as a blogger or a niche business on Etsy or as a guest speaker or advocate? Is it establishing an LLC and creating a product or service? Just a few questions to start the ideas rolling.
I was the helper at school. Worked in the attendance office, as a teacher assistant, etc. It was a great outlet for my social tendencies and kept me out of trouble from being so bored. It is a good solution for some kids, and, by the way, even back in the 80's there was a pretty even mix of male and female students working as volunteers in the office. Maybe it was an anomaly - not sure.
