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Does Having Kids Make Moms Less Ambitious? (VIDEO)

by Amy Kuras on June 12, 2012 at 6:00 AM

Most of us have had to make the choice at one time or another between boosting our career and maximizing time with our kids. Monica Kapoor, one of the ensemble cast of MAMMA MIA! on Broadway, really swam against the tide of her profession when she went from being a featured player in the show back to being a part of the ensemble.

Most people who are pursuing showbiz as a career know that the time to do so is short; you don't see a lot of 50-year-old dancers hoofing around the stage. So opting out is even more chancy than it is for most people ... but Monica wouldn't have it any other way.

At some point, she tells us, her desire to be a lead in the show just sort of went away ... it became much more important to be able to have a family life with her daughter and husband rather than spending all her offstage time chasing stardom.

I think many of us can relate to that change in ambition. Did your ambitions change after becoming a mom?

 

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Filed Under: mamma mia, working moms, cafemom studios

Comments

9
  • Rhond...
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    RhondaVeggie

    June 12, 2012 at 6:58 AM
    You don't get less ambitious when you become a mom, your ambitions just change. Raising great kids is a far more ambitious undertaking than acting a part in a play.
  • SaraJ...
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    SaraJamesHigh

    June 12, 2012 at 7:00 AM
    Wow I was going to post exactly what Rhonda said
  • cmjaz
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    cmjaz

    June 12, 2012 at 7:35 AM
    Good post rhonda
  • A
    -- Nonmember comment from

    A

    June 12, 2012 at 8:43 AM
    What Rhonda said!
  • LizB86
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    LizB86

    June 12, 2012 at 9:16 AM

    After you have kids, you certainly see the emptyness and insanity of devoting all your waking hours to a job.  No one ever said "I wish I'd put in more hours at the office" on their deathbed.


  • jalaz77
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    jalaz77

    June 12, 2012 at 11:20 AM
    I feel I became more ambitious. Went back to school for my RN degree when my 2nd was 3 weeks old and plan on studying CNM next, part time. I love learning and want my kids to see they can do anything they want with hard work at any time in their life. It is never too late for anything. Plus when I am in school, it is 95% online, I get to spend more time with my kids cause they are home. Your ambitions do change and is different for everyone.
  • LoveM...
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    LoveMyViolet

    June 12, 2012 at 11:53 AM

    For once, I completely agree with Rhonda!


  • Todd...
    -- Facebook comment from

    Todd Vrancic

    June 12, 2012 at 5:04 PM

    What Rhonda said is very true, it's not that you're less ambitious, it's that your ambitions are focused elsewhere.


  • Sadie...
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    Sadie0711

    June 13, 2012 at 1:53 AM

    i agree with rhonda and lizb86. i don't think people become lazy and completely uninspired and lose all of their ambition once they become parents, but they do realize what's important. not just in their careers, but in all facets of life. so for someone who had a ritual of golfing every sunday, he may now find it more fulfilling to spend that time playing with his kids. or for someone who had a serious shoe addiction, she may now prefer to spend that money on new toys for her kids just to see their face light up. and for someone who devoted all of their time to climbing the corporate ladder, they may instead value more time at home over getting a bigger promotion at work. so it doesn't make someone less ambitious, just more likely to put their ambitions to other things.


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