Writing about the privilege, contradictions, and complications of motherhood and modern life.
Work + Motherhood
I explore the intersections of career and motherhood and attempt to answer the unsolved questions that shape how we work and live.
Personal Essays
Maternity Leave: Groundhog Day for New Moms
In the newborn phase, a unique dichotomy exists: routine without a routine. A set of events and tasks that need to be completed, but in no real particular order or at negotiable times. My newfound non-routine routine involves waking up each day in the early hours of the morning, feeding 1,000 times, changing 2,000 diapers, and venturing no more than an arm’s length away from my little one, ready to swoop in with a pacifier or scoop him up after the crying has prevailed long enough.
The Severest Sunday Scaries
Returning to work — after two days, two weeks, or 12 weeks — is scary because we make it scary. We let the meetings, tasks, and difficult client conversations pile up in our minds, layering on like weights that seem too heavy to lift. Maybe we can choose to view work as a means to an end: a string of tasks and calls we execute to flex our brain muscles and earn a living for our families.
About
Hi, I'm Katherine Reading, MBA, marketing professional, writer, and first-time boy mama.