The positive response to our Mothers On Marketing series has been heartwarming. We were excited about it going in, but the quality of the posts from the guest bloggers and reaction from our readers far exceeded our expectations. Thank you all for that.

I didn’t want this week to go by without hearing from the moms at Benchmark Email HQ. I live halfway across the country from my mom, so I always enjoy their motherly energy around the office. For this week’s edition of the Benchmark 5, I polled some of the moms around the office for some advice they could impart on other working moms. Each of their answers brought smiles to my face and made me miss my own mom a whole lot. You may be able to count and realize there are six. Forgive me, I was a journalism major…not mathematics. Besides, I make the rules around here. Without further ado and in no particular order:

Judy Searing (International Partner Development): Be the mom to offer to drive your kids and his/her friends. Keep your hands on the steering wheel, but your ears to the backseat!

Julie Jensen (Support Supervisor): Get involved! I do Girl Scouts, PTA, everything and anything that will let me spend more time with my daughter. I know that sometimes I’m going to have to work, so being at these other activities is important and allows me to have quality time with my daughter.

Sandy Ulmer (Designer): As a working mom with little children you can miss a lot of their firsts, so make the time you have with them memorable. Hug them often, play and read. With older children, LISTEN to them and talk about their day. Let them know they are important in your life. Teach them how to be self sufficient and to care for others. That can help them see who they are and what is important in life.

Ruby Fine (USA/Canada Sales Executive): The following poem expresses how grateful I am for everything my mom has taught me. While growing up, it was hard to understand why she kept me from doing the things I wanted to do as a child or a teenager. Now that I am a mother myself, I am able to see where she was coming from. I am grateful for her unconditional love and many important lessons she has taught me. Whether I like it or not, she continues to make sure I understand to never settle for less and always keep my standards high. Through word and action, she always put our needs in front of hers and sacrificed much to be there for us while growing up. She was and continues to be here for me whenever I need her and I am so thankful for that! To all you Mothers who sacrifice so much of your love…and who have made us who we are today…I wish you all a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Mom, without you, there would be no me.
Your love, your attention, your guidance,
have made me who I am.
Without you, I would be lost,
wandering aimlessly,
without direction or purpose.
You showed me the way
to serve, to accomplish, to persevere.
Without you, there would be an empty space
I could never fill, no matter how I tried.
Instead, because of you,
I have joy, contentment, satisfaction and peace.
Thank you, mom.
I have always loved you
and I always will.

By Joanna Fuchs

Joanne Walker (Office Manager): Allowing each child to pick and help prepare one meal a week, while the others do the clean up on that night gives Mom a break. There are usually no complaints about the food or the cleaning up, because they know their turn is coming.

Debbie Running (Accounting/HR Manager): Be flexible. Be prepared for anything. No matter how much you plan, something will come up that you were not expecting. Be prepared to always have a plan B. Most importantly, go with the flow.

Make memories. Take family vacations. Rekindle your relationships with your children (if your children still want to go on family vacations when they are 26, you know you must have done something right).

Don’t feel guilty!