As a new mom, I had missed some of the independence I had without kids. So, in an effort to spread my wings and gain some confidence in my new role in life I planned a daring trip to San Francisco for the day. I wanted to take my nine-year-old niece and one-year-old son to the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. The weather was bright and sunny the perfect day for an epic adventure for the three of us.
My plan was take BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) in to the city, explore the museum and then walk around the Union Square area to find a place for lunch and check out a few shops.
We finished looking through the museum and decided to make one last pit stop at the restroom to change a dirty diaper. It was then I saw that I had a major situation on my hands. My little boy, Stuart, was having some serious diarrhea. It had gone through all of his clothes and onto the stroller. This was worse than anything I had ever seen before. My niece was faking throwing up because it smelled so bad. She was more of an aggravation than help at that point, so I put her straight to work trying to clean up the stroller while I took care of the baby. I discovered nine year olds are probably not qualified to do this job. It did, however, keep her busy and out of my hair for the moment. Once everything was put back together, with the baby, the dirty clothes, and the stroller, cleaned up as best as could be, we were on our way again. I have to admit I felt pretty proud of myself as I walked out of that bathroom. Pulling together a mess like that in a public bathroom with minimal resources is not for the faint hearted. The rest of the day went smoothly as we looked in a few shops before heading back to the BART Station to go home.
We arrived during rush hour when it was very crowded. A trio of travelers caught my eye. They were the young executive types. The picture brought back many memories of my working days, and I began to feel very insecure as I sat there with my kids, in my khakis and t-shirt. About that time, my son had another episode of diarrhea. However, this time he was sitting on my lap and again it went straight through his clothes, and all over me. I looked across the aisle at the young executives in their snappy smart suits, carrying their briefcases and laptops, talking about “important” stuff. As I sat there it occurred to me that dealing with baby poop and a nine year old's non-stop stream of questions is a greater test of ingenuity and thinking outside of the box than coming up with a new marketing strategy. I knew in my heart in that moment that my life as a mother was far more challenging than anything I had faced as a young executive working my way up the ladder. It would be far more demanding than any deadline I ever faced in my professional career. I began to see new importance in the words “no, no” or, “What are you learning in school these days?” The guidance and advice I give as a mother will have far more impact on the world than any advice I gave my clients on “how to improve their bottom line” ever did.
My epic adventure in navigating the messiness of motherhood became a pivotal point in my life. I learned that even though I no longer clocked in and carried a brief case my life still had meaning and purpose. I earned my wings that day in San Francisco. I went home knowing that I indeed was a mother and confident that I could do this thing. 
Stuart and Courtney on one of the many adventures they had together.
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