Good Enough Is the New Perfect

April 18, 2011
Gillespie, a journalist, and Temple, a lawyer, explore modern motherhood and family/work balance in this examination of a new generation of mothers battling the conflicting pushes and pulls of career goals and mothering roles. The authors, who both left their jobs and forged new career paths after having children, surveyed more than 900 working mothers (most were college educated and financially secure), born between the years of 1965 and 1980. Many of these women, the offspring of baby boomers, were competitive perfectionists, attempting to have and do it all. But, the authors discovered, those mothers who had a "good enough" rather than "never enough" attitude toward their lives were happier and more successful. In fact, Gillespie and Temple argue, redefining success (but not "settling") and creating careers that match both personal and professional goals is crucial if mothers are to finally throw off the cloak of dissatisfaction and inner conflict that has so often defined the lives of women in past generations. Along with their personal stories, the authors include brief profiles of a number of women who have shaped their own careers, either by pursuing entrepreneurial dreams or by exploring flexible schedules, often using technology to extend job boundaries and options. Gillespie and Temple provide inspiring examples for contemporary mothers striving to find balance and happiness within work and family life.

May 15, 2011

Bloggers Gillespie and Temple give common-sense advice for women looking to balance career and family.

No parent is perfect, and no career is without sacrifices, write the authors. Mothers today are so exhausted from their successful careers, they have to let go of the myth of Supermom. In their debut, Gillespie and Temple attempt to reassure upper-income mothers who are stressed with career and family. Women, faced with so many choices, want everything, but because they have been raised to believe they can do it all, motherhood becomes a competitive sport. The authors surveyed 905 women born between 1965 and 1980 and asked them to speak about the difficulty of balancing their work and home lives. Each chapter offers bullet-point tips and examples from their subjects as well as the authors' lives. Not surprisingly, mothers who realize that doing their best is good enough are happiest. Much of the authors' advice is merely straightforward and conventional, but there are a few high points. Among them: a lengthy discussion of career advice that urges women to think long term before choosing a specialty.

Far-from-revelatory observations about adjusting career expectations to fit with motherhood.

(COPYRIGHT (2011) KIRKUS REVIEWS/NIELSEN BUSINESS MEDIA, INC. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.)

May 15, 2011
In the latest book to examine whether women can have it alla successful career and well-adjusted childrenand be happy, Gillespie and Temple find that its possible as long as women give up on the myth of perfection. Drawing on interviews, extensive research, and a survey of 900-plus women, they contend that working mothers are either the good enoughs or the never enoughs, and more women are finding balance and satisfaction among the former. Each chapter begins with simple, useful, bulleted points on such topics as marriage, work flexibility, and managing crises from a good enough perspective. While the explanations can become bogged down in statistics, the first-person accounts throughout are compelling and applicable. As Gillespie and Temple point out, their research focuses on, and thus may be most helpful to, women who are well educated and well-enough off to choose to create more flexible, balanced schedules.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2011, American Library Association.)