Caffeinated Moms!

Are you a caffeinated mom? This article from CNN discusses how "caffeinated moms drink up to keep up." The article focuses on the long- and short-term health effects of caffeine in a mom's daily diet. There were examples of moms drinking 2-3 pots of coffee a day, or a six pack of soda plus coffee plus energy drinks. (There's also a nice bit of advice to get seven or eight hours of sleep a night to help reduce caffeine intake.)

No doubt about it, we're all so busy that it seems like a physical necessity to use some stimulants to keep up with everything we have to do. When I consider all the things that are on my to-do list, plus toddler care, it doesn't seem possible! And maybe it's not, without some kind of stimulant.

But the article just left me with one big question: instead of asking how much caffeine is ok, why isn't there some analysis of why we have so much to do? There are some larger systemic questions we've got to just be bold and ask, instead of "sucking it up" (I hate that term!). You gotta be careful what you suck up, right?!

Here are some questions I wish the CNN article grappled with:

- Why are antiquated corporate structures, built pre-Internet, kept in place when there are so much better flex-time models out there?
- Where are the family friendly champions in government?
- What are the cultural expectations that keep us running long after our bodies and minds tell us to stop?
- How do we shift the culture to be *truly* family friendly, so that there is no shame in saying "I'm not making a million dollars. I'm spending time with my kids instead."?

Well, if CNN isn't going to do the analysis, maybe we can start the conversation here! What do you think, all you overworked caregivers out there?