Chief Mom Officer Momifesto

Happy almost Mother’s Day, everyone! In honor of the day, I thought I would share my Momifesto with you all – all about what exactly is a Chief Mom Officer, anyways.

I’ve been writing on this site for about a year and a half now, and realized I’ve never explored what I think a Chief Mom Officer is. I’ve been a mother since I was 23, a few months after I graduated from college – being a mom is very much a part of my adult identity.

There’s an impression out there that all moms that blog about money are “soft” money bloggers-talking only about frugality, couponing, and fun with kids. Although I do love a good frugality and fun with kids post – I mean, did you see my owl cake or my Minecraft cake? – I also like to talk about the Trinity study and interview high net worth, high income earning women.  And I’m not alone – there are tons of smart women out there talking about all different subject. You just need to listen.

So I thought some more about what makes a Chief Mom Officer, and wrote this momifesto for Mother’s Day.

The Chief Mom Officer Momifesto

A Chief Mom Officer:

Is the family Chief Financial Officer – or a complete money partner

She knows “a man is not a plan” and that women are often more successful investors than men. She either runs the family financial plan, or is a total partner in debt payoff, saving, and investment decisions. She educates herself on personal finance so she can be knowledgable about the subject, takes smart risks, and knows how the family is tracking towards their dreams.

Doesn’t engage in the “mommy wars”

She respects that different people will make different choices that work for them.Work outside the home, part time, full time, or not at all. And that’s OK. Whether she works, or doesn’t, she knows that she’s a valuable part of the family. Paid work is not the measure of her success in life – but it can be a part of her identity, if she so chooses. She prefers to spend her time building other moms up, rather than tearing them down for making different choices than she does.

Takes action rather than only consuming

It’s easy to watch TV, scroll through Facebook, or read articles – it’s harder to shut those off and take action to improve your life. She knows that mindless entertainment is occasional fun, but won’t get her closer to her dreams. So rather than being a consumer of entertainment, she’s a creator who takes action to success. She doesn’t just read articles on how to make changes and forget them the next day – she puts them into play in her own life.

Knows that if nothing changes, nothing changes

A Chief Mom Officer knows that if she wants to change something about her life, she’s going to need to change things about her life. After all, the definition of insanity is to keep doing something but expect to see different results. If she wants to make a change and things of “reasons” she can’t, she challenges herself to give it a try first before giving up. She knows change is uncomfortable, but that uncomfortable feeling leads to personal growth – and might enable her to achieve her dreams.

“Goes beyond the mom”

Although she’s a mom, and loves her kids a lot, she’s more than a mom. And she knows that being more than a mom, makes her a better mom, and a better woman. She sets a good example for her kids on what a mom is and how to treat one. Her daughters will know how to be a strong, successful woman – and her sons will look for strong, successful wives.

Doesn’t settle for less-at work or in relationships

She knows her worth. If she’s being treated poorly at work, or not given the role, responsibilities, or pay she deserves – she gets that fixed. She also doesn’t let anyone in her life treat her as “less than” because she knows she deserves better. She says clearly what she wants and needs, and if she doesn’t get it, she changes the situation rather than staying where she is just because it’s familiar, or comfortable.

Doesn’t give up what she wants most for what she wants now

She doesn’t drive a $50k SUV and live in a million dollar home while complaining that she can’t save a dime for her kids to go to college. She knows that if she has big goals and big dreams, they will sometimes require sacrifice today for a better tomorrow. Short term pleasure and fun aren’t worth the sacrifice to give up what she dreams for most of all, whatever that might be.

Enjoys life today – but in a smarter way

Now that doesn’t mean that a Chief Mom Officer drives a 25 year old rusting car, and sits in the dark eating nothing but ramen noodles to save money. She knows that it’s important to still enjoy today, even while saving for those big goals and dreams. After all, tomorrow is promised to none of us. But she…

Knows that fun doesn’t need to cost money

“Frugality without creativity is deprivation,” says The Tightwad Gazette. And a Chief Mom Officer agrees with this. She knows that having fun with her kids doesn’t need to cost money – and if it does, it doesn’t need to cost a lot of money. Trips to the park, the beach, museums, libraries, fairs… the list is endless. She uses a bit of creativity to make the ordinary just a bit extraordinary.

Takes time to take care of herself – and doesn’t feel guilty

She recognizes that taking care of others but ignoring her own wants and needs leads to a bad situation. Constantly caring for others while ignoring her own needs doesn’t actually do your kids any good. She knows that if she doesn’t take good care of herself, she’ll end up unhappy and burnt out. And she doesn’t want that for herself, or her kids.

Is proud of being a smart, confident woman

Sometimes people are scared or intimidated by smart, confident women in a way they are not of men. She knows that if other people are intimidated, that’s their problem. She refuses to dumb herself down or act unsure of herself to make other people feel better about themselves. She firmly believes that smart, confident women are the best kind of women.

Doesn’t need to be perfect

She doesn’t beat herself up if she’s less than perfect. Netflix binge marathon when she really wanted to clean the house? Eating ice cream five days in a row? Forgetting to send in cupcakes for school? Spending more than she budgeted? It’s OK! No excuses. Things happen, and she knows that the perfect is the enemy of the good. At the same time, she…

Doesn’t give up

Beating yourself up over something that’s happened is pointless. Examining what went wrong and making changes to ensure it doesn’t happen again – aka taking action – has a purpose. She knows that sometimes bad things happen to good people. We all mess up and make mistakes. None of us are perfect, we don’t live perfect lives, and the road to success is not a golden straight line but rather a curved and hilly one. But a Chief Mom Officer knows that rather than wallowing in sadness, complaining about the difficult journey, or engaging “woe is me” type thinking – only picking herself up, dusting herself off, and trying all over again will get her to where she wants to go.

I Am A Chief Mom Officer

Or at least, I always strive to be. Are you?

As the mother of three boys, Mother’s Day is always a fun and special day for me. My boys always do something fun for me, and I’m sure this year will be no exception. I’m also pretty sure I’ll get some plants for my garden.

For other articles on amazing moms this mothers day, be sure to check out:

• Give the Gift of Financial Freedom for Mothers Day
• Moms On FIRE – Seeking Financial Freedom as a Mom
• Breadwinning, Six Figure, Millionaire Moms

And tell me – what would be in your momifesto?

P.S. I know momifesto is a totally made up word, just like momtrepreneur. I hope to make it an empowering one.

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