Gena Gerard, like many daughters of the Baby Boomers, grew up determined to Have It All -- a successful career, a great family -- the whole package. Only somewhere along the line, she got tangled in the "Mommy Wars" and started feeling remorse that she could neither give full commitment to her job running a Minneapolis non-profit and her two young children at home.
It's a common theme throughout a new book, Good Enough is the New Perfect, which chronicles the struggles of modern, working mommies along with the solutions they have tried to achieve balance and happiness.
Gerard, who lives in Chanhassen, is featured prominently for her efforts to reclaim her life by quitting her executive position and opening a yoga and fitness studio. (Actually, her original vision was for a broader one-stop shop for women that included fitness, art, a salon, a bakery, etc. But that business model struggled, so she switched to a yoga center that has developed a stable client base.)
The narrative is so threaded through the angst and perspective of mothers that I was often left wondering about the unaddressed perspectives of fathers and whether they were pitching in enough at home. But that's probably just a guy thing! The book definitely taps into a hot-button issue that will resonate with many parents, especially in a state such as Minnesota with one of the highest rates of two-income families.
Gerard offers the unique perspective of starting her own business as a means of grasping control of her schedule and her work-life balance. In a survey of working mothers, the authors of the book found that 20 percent either were consultants/freelancers or owned businesses.
A goal of the book is to move public discourse beyond the simplified should-I-work-or-stay-at-home? debate that has persisted even as mothers have pursued numerous alternatives. It explores many of those alternatives -- from entrepreneurship to working from home to redefining spousal roles. But it's no how-to book, as many of the solutions would only have worked for the individual mothers who are profiled. Gerard's dream, for example, was achieved in part through a timely inheritance.
