Working moms who make it work - Parenting

Ebony, May, 2004 by Zondra Hughes

FROM coast-to-coast working moms are holding their own. These single mothers actually have two jobs, the 8-hour job at the workplace, and the round-the-clock job at home, and they are charged with the responsibility of raising children and keeping their household in order 24-7, 365 days a year.

Truth be told, today's super working mom isn't a new phenomenon--she's part of a great tradition of Black mothers who have successfully navigated the challenges of single parenthood while building or maintaining a career.

Working moms Roxane Battle, an anchor at KARE-TV in Plymouth, Minn., and Denise Jordan Walker, morning show host of the "Denise Jordan Walker Morning Show" on WSRB Soul in Lansing, Ill. (a Chicago suburb), are just two of the many untold examples of Black mothers who go above and beyond to keep this tradition of excellence alive.

Both women have developed their own procedures to deal with hectic careers and at the same time enjoy quality time with their family. Every morning, Roxane Battle looks forward to driving her 10-year-old son Jarod to school. "I usually get up at 6:30 a.m., make breakfast for my son, pack his lunch and I drive him to school every single day," Roxane says. "It's our time in the morning."

The two routinely chat about homework, video games and what's going on in his life.

"We go over spelling words, we talk about his basketball practice. We listen to music, we talk about his little girlfriend--I can't believe that he has a girlfriend now!" Roxane says. "I check him in at school and kiss him goodbye. And then I drive to the studio."

After dropping off her son, Roxane switches gears and becomes that other Roxane Battle, the news anchor everyone in the city knows. She arrives at the studio about an hour early, goes into makeup, and has an editorial meeting with the producers, then she's on the air at 10:00 a.m. for the hour-long show.

In addition to reporting the news, Battle also interviews musicians, authors and even gardeners.

Once she's off the air and out of the studio, she becomes the doting mother again, picking her up son at his after-school program. If there is a breaking news story and Battle is unable to leave the studio in time, she has an emergency support system in place. "My son's father is really very supportive and is extremely involved in my son's life," Roxane says. "We've been divorced for much of Jarod's life, but we have a very good, amicable co-parenting relationship, and that's what makes it work."

At the end of the workday, mother and son catch up on the day's events at the dinner table, no matter how long her workday has been. "I'm really tired when I come home, but I'm going to go into the kitchen and make dinner one or two nights a week, and we're going to sit down and have a family dinner, even if it's just the two of us," the anchorwoman says. "We need that time to connect."

As Battle's day winds down, Chicago working mom Denise Jordan Walker's day is revving up. Walker, a radio DJ, is out of the bed and on her way to work before the roosters wake up. "I get up at 3 a.m. Monday through Friday and I have to be at work at 4:30," she says. "The radio station is located in Hammond, Indiana, so I have to drive about a half-hour to work; but there's never any traffic, because I'm the only one on the streets, literally!"

Walker usually arrives at the studio at 4:30 a.m., about a half-hour before her show goes on the air. Her on-air shift officially ends at 10:00 a.m., but her workday can include show preparations, meetings with the program directors, and even personal appearances that can keep her at the station for hours.

"I'm home at different times every day, but usually I get home in the early afternoon," she says.

Unlike fellow working mom Roxane Battle, Walker spends her quality time with her children, Jenna, 3, and Jordan, 9, the night before she goes to work and immediately after work.

When Walker enters the house--actually, when the garage door opens--her children and her own mother, also the daily baby-sitter, rush to greet her. "My mother just retired from United Airlines, so she comes over to relieve me, and the kids don't even know that I'm gone. She's such a blessing," she says. "The kids take their showers and I choose their outfits at night. My daughter's hair is [braided] now, so I don't have to worry about combing her hair for school. And with my mother's help, the kids don't even miss a beat."

Little Jenna attends preschool but Walker home-schools her son Jordan, a decision she felt that she was forced to make a couple of years ago. "There seems to be a lot of racism with Black boys from the White teachers where I live, and I noticed it and it felt really weird," Walker explains.

Looking back, the DJ says home-schooling was a perfect fit for her family. The main benefit for her is a flexible schedule, and the main benefit for Jordan is a chance to excel beyond his grade school level.

"I get the packaged curriculum from the teacher's store and I set the pace for him," she says. "When he wakes up in the morning, his assignments are on his desk; he completes his work and I implement the reward system," Walker explains. "When he does well, he gets great rewards, such as visiting a theme park or playing video games."