Rep. Wasserman Schultz: Work-Life Balance Can Be Difficult but Is Critical
Washington, DC,
April 8, 2016
U.S. NEWS & WORLD REPORT Rep. Wasserman Schultz: Work-Life Balance Can Be Difficult but Is Critical Having a perspective of a working mother has helped in the role as a legislator, the Florida Congresswoman writes. By Debbie Wasserman Schultz As a citizen legislator who started off in Florida's House of Representatives in Tallahassee, a nearly eight-hour drive from our home in South Florida, I was thrown into the fire of learning to achieve a work-life balance early on in my career. When I first ran for Congress, my opponent criticized me for taking notes at a candidate forum with a crayon. She said it was an example of the frazzled life I lead, and that I wouldn't be able to do both jobs. A reporter later asked me about it and I told the reporter that the only thing that that showed was that I didn't have a pen – but as a mother, I was never without a crayon! I have always believed and prepared for throughout my life to be the best possible parent while performing at my best in my full professional life. It was for me and my husband, not my political opponent, to decide how to strike that balance. At that time, I was a mother of younger children, and that story reflected where my kids and I were in our lives. But fast forward a dozen years, and our family is embarking on new adventures. We are preparing my two oldest children for college next year, and my youngest daughter will soon have her bat mitzvah surrounded by our family and friends. My husband Steve and I have always teamed up to make sure our responsibilities to our family – which includes two full-time working parents, three kids involved in activities of all kinds, such as baseball and Girl Scouts, and our five dogs – are always met first. "Saint Steve," as I affectionately refer to him, handles the weeknight duties like driving and cooking when I am in Washington. We are also so fortunate to have my parents living nearby because it truly does take a village! We have dinner all together every Sunday night, which has been a really special and important touchstone for us to catch up and have family time we can count on. I also do everything I can to be a part of my kids' daily lives. I call to talk to my twins about their upcoming college preparatory tests, check in on what homework they have, and plan my youngest daughter's sleepovers with her friends via text messages. When they were younger, I spent many an early evening on the phone, fax and iPad helping with homework or stepping away from a dinner to help quiz them for a test the next day. No task is too big or small, and I make sure I have the right tools for the job. Even as time has flown by, our collective experiences – from crayons to college prep – have always shaped and informed my work as a legislator. In the Florida House of Representatives, I fought to protect young children like Preston de Ibern, then 5, who suffered a non-fatal drowning in a family friend's swimming pool. For Preston's mother, and so many others like her, I fought tooth and nail with the legislature to pass Florida's first comprehensive pool and spa safety law. Preston was only 5 when he suffered his non-fatal drowning, and my twins were just past their first birthday when I passed the bill and Gov. Jeb Bush signed it into law. My perspective as a working mother with young kids helped me push that bill over the finish line, even when it had fallen short in previous years. As my kids have gotten older, and we've embarked on new experiences, my priorities have grown, too. I've proudly supported President Barack Obama's America's College Promise proposal, which would make two years of community college free for students who earn good grades. Every kid in America deserves access to a quality higher education – without the crippling debt that is slowing down our economy and far too many lives. I've worked to ensure young women have access to the health care they need, without the interference of politicians, because health care is a right, and not a privilege. I want every young woman in this nation to have quality, affordable health care, from unfettered access to comprehensive family planning services, including access to abortion care, without medically unnecessary barriers like waiting periods; and insurance coverage for preventative breast cancer screenings. I want every kid, including mine and the children of the families I represent, to live the best life they possibly can, and I have done everything in my power here in Congress to ensure that comes true. One of the things I've learned with both my family and my job as a legislator is that you have to fight, and make time for, who and what are most important to you. I was proud to co-sponsor and vote for the Affordable Care Act, which has helped 20 million people get quality, affordable health care. I have consistently voted to keep our promises to our nation's seniors by strengthening and protecting Social Security and Medicare. I have forcefully spoken out and advocated for an immigration system that keeps families together. These are things I'm proud to fight for in Congress. Eight years ago, I found a lump in my breast and was diagnosed with breast cancer. Subsequently, I learned that I carry the BRCA gene mutation that greatly increased my chances of a recurrence, as well as for ovarian cancer. I have been cancer-free and healthy for eight years now and I am so grateful for my health. But facing your own mortality will wake you up like nothing else can, and it underscored for me how important my work-life balance is to raising strong, smart, kind children and fighting in my work to make their lives and my constituents' lives better. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz represents the 23rd Congressional District, which includes parts of Florida's Broward and Miami-Dade counties. She is a member of the House Appropriations Committee, serving as the Ranking Member of the Legislative Subcommittee. |
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