The Washington, DC area is full of amazing moms. There are working moms, stay-at-home moms, single moms, moms of multiples, foster moms, adoptive moms, etc. We want to highlight some of those moms like Christina Ho! Each month we will feature one special mom as the Mom of the Month. Know a fellow amazing local mom here? Nominate them here!
Meet our July Mom of the Month: Christina Ho
Christina grew up in Macau and moved to the US to go to college over 30 years ago. She was appointed as Board Member of the Public Company Accounting Oversight Board by the
Securities and Exchange Commission in November 2021. She has held many executive jobs in public finance & policy, data analytics, and technology innovation, but her favorite job is being a mom to her beautiful 11-yr old daughter. They have enjoyed living in DC and are blessed with wonderful neighbors, a caring school community and a church that focuses on loving their neighbors well.
Here is our Q&A with Christina Ho
1. Is work-life balance a myth or is it truly achievable? Are you there?
I find it interesting that I get asked this question by women a lot more often than men, so I infer that women think about this challenge more. Numerous studies (BBC, Gallup, Pew Research, etc.) have shown that women still assume more household responsibilities both physically and mentally than men, so it is not surprising that this issue is more paramount to women. Although the struggle often feels personal, it is also a societal and systemic issue. As a result, work-life balance is not a goal anyone could achieve perfectly or permanently alone.
If you are feeling the stress and guilt, that is completely normal. The idea that you could get to a point when you could have it all is a myth. It is not because somehow you are not doing it right or good enough. For me, work-life balance is more a state of mind than an achievement. As a single working mom, it is impossible for me to do everything well all the time. Rather, I try to accept that I have limitations and to be content with the outcome of not always balancing well. That mindset helps me to be kind to myself and therefore makes me happier and more present for people around me.
2. Has your daughter ever complained about you working? How did you talk to her about it?
When she was in kindergarten and on our way to school one morning, she asked me why I had to go to work and why I couldn’t be like one of her classmate’s mom who could stay home with her children. I told her that everyone had a different family. Stay at home moms work just as hard. For our family, I needed to work outside of our house too so that I could take care of her. Also, I told her that I liked my job because I enjoyed using my skills to contribute to things I cared about. I didn’t want her to think that I was only working because of her. I wanted her to understand that I was doing what I enjoyed for me as well. It is important to model for our children that we too have needs and have to care for ourselves as well.
3. In addition to being a working mom, you are also raising your daughter on your own. What are the unique challenges you have been facing and how have they impacted your well-being?
I was blessed with the gift of motherhood later in my life. Because of that, I am so thrilled to be a mom and I love every minute of it, even when it is hard. Being a single parent means that I have no break and have to do everything myself. I think that being older helps me to have a more laid-back outlook about life. I know I have never been perfect and will never be. It gives me the freedom to accept who I am, who my daughter is, and our circumstances. That takes a lot of stress away and minimizes unrealistic expectations.
Do you know an amazing mom? Nominate a mom of the month here!
