Book Bites

Mom Skills Are ... Soft Skills?!

Chapter 10: So You Think Staying At Home Isn’t A Full-Time Job?

Red had never thought about all the things she did as a mom as anything more than, well, being a mom. Juggling a million and one things, all of which seemed to be a priority (if not to her, then to others). Putting out daily fires, trying to anticipate the next problem before it happened, and keeping life running as smoothly as possible were all part of what she signed up for. And since she had always wanted to be a mom, she never gave any of it a second thought — until the day Black got her thinking about her life in a whole new way.

P.S. - Initially, Red found it hard to believe that what she called “Mom skills” were highly valuable workplace skills. What Black refers to as “soft skills” (don’t get her started on all the other names for them!). Over the years, as we detoured into the education world and the workplace, Red was fascinated by the full impact of what Black had told her in those first months of her crisis. (We even created curricula related to soft skills as they’re demonstrated throughout our book.) But what Red finds most powerful is that soft skills are totally transferable — from the workplace to your personal life, and vice versa.

What I didn’t realize was that I’d never work harder in my life than once I added the responsibilities of being a full-time mom to those of being a wife and a daughter. And now, as I have taken on the management of the family’s finances and the work associated with moving to a new house, my workload has gotten even bigger.


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Just checking in. What’s going on? It sounds like World War III.


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Let me call you back.


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Sorry it took me so long to call you back. We were in the middle of labeling Ziploc bags when the girls decided to start fighting over the markers. Then, as I was trying to stop them from arguing, Nick told me that he had promised to paint with the girls, but we were out of watercolors. That’s when you called.


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Did you get it all resolved?


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Oh, yes. I told the girls if they didn’t stop fighting, no one was going to get to use the markers, and we wouldn’t go through any more of the scrapbook stuff, which they were really enjoying. They settled down immediately. I told Nick I’d add watercolors to my shopping list, but told him that I’d check to see if I had some extra paint in my secret gift stash. There was, so that emergency was handled and now things are back to being calm. For the moment.


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Told you so.

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Told me what?

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Your job is every bit as demanding as a corporate position and, in fact, you use many of the same skill sets.

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Dealing with markers and paint? You need to get out more.

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Me? I think it is you that needs to get out more. First, you motivated the girls to help you with the scrapbooks by making it a game. When they started to fight, you demonstrated negotiating skills. And then you dealt with Nick’s emergency. So you can add “quick decision-making in an ever-changing environment” to your resume, along with your financial and time-management skills.

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You do know that the way you look at things is NOT normal, don’t you? Not that there’s anything wrong with it since it always gives me something to think about, but it’s certainly different.

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And now you are demonstrating your communication skills. Questioning my thought process, but buffering it with a compliment.

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Now you’re being a smart-ass.

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True, but I bet you praised the girls for helping you with the scrapbook project. In all seriousness, you would make a good office manager.

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I’m not trying to be an office manager. All those things are just part of being a mom. And they happen all the time. That’s my life.


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A life full of business skills you are taking for granted.

Quote: "A life full of business skills you are taking for granted." Signed "Black"


Want More?

  • To buy the book, click here.
  • To read more Book Bites, click here.
Soft Skills
Book Bites

What's A Book Bite?

Right now, these excerpts come from our bestselling book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired! But, over time, we’ll be adding excerpts from other Red & Black books.

We struggled with which ones to include, as everyone seems to have a different favorite, and the topics in our book are so varied. (Don’t believe us? Check out the Table of Contents.)

So, we decided to start sharing what people ask for most — the stories people seem to enjoy at our speaking engagements, the ones adult literacy educators use in their classrooms, the ones you tell us are entertaining, but also get you thinking.

Book Bites aren’t just highlights. They’re stories that resonate and spark conversations.

Each Book Bite is meant to stand on its own — to be useful and/or amusing, and worth your time. We hope they not only give you some insight into the very different personalities of Red and Black (if you find Red unbelievably naïve and Black extremely sarcastic, don’t worry, most people do), but also give you different ways of looking at things.

WHY ARE WE GIVING AWAY SO MUCH FREE CONTENT?

Red initially wondered that, too. But then decided that if these stories helped others, she was good with it. For Black, she finds it very annoying when authors reference an excerpt or a story and then say, “To find out the details, buy the book.”

That said, if you do want the full story … you can find What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired! in the Red & Black Shop, including autographed copies. And if you need bulk sales? It’s as easy as contacting Red (the nice one) at Red@RedandBlack.email.

excerpts
Videos

From The Inside: If I Had Known

From The Inside: If I Had Known play icon
- YouTube
youtu.be

Prepare to hear powerful voices and unexpected messages that will stop you in your tracks.

What you don’t know can hurt you. It’s about having the information you need to make smart decisions. It’s about second chances. It’s about choices that can change your life.

And it comes from inside the prison walls at the Texas Department of Criminal Justice’s Stringfellow Unit.

If this fast-paced trailer leaves you wanting more, watch the full 15-minute video at Red & Black: The Stringfellow Story.

To buy our bestselling book that was used in this program, click here.

To learn more about the “Red & Black Personal Finance & Life 101” prison program, contact us at Education@RedandBlack.email.

criminal justice
Videos

Want To Learn How To Race At Indy?

Want To Learn How To Race At Indy? play icon
RED & BLACK: Life Is Like A Racetrack
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This is one of the most popular stories from our speaking engagements, as it seems everyone’s interested in learning how to race a Ferrari. (People also want copies of Black’s track map, and over the years, we’ve created handouts, posters, and even mugs, with the image. And probably will again!)

But the reaction to the ending of Black’s story (Red never gets tired of watching the audience) was what prompted us to write the book, Life Is Like A Racetrack.

Of course, Black’s always more than happy to talk about cars and racing. She was the first woman to race the road course at Indianapolis Motor Speedway — and is probably the first person to use a track map to explain how "life is like a racetrack."

Curious about the back story on this student-created video?

In 2012, the seniors at YES Prep Public Schools in Houston were reading our book, What I Learned About Life When My Husband Got Fired!, and we were invited to be the keynote speakers at their Senior Summit. The theme was "Life Is A Journey," and we used our own personal journeys, as well as the "story" of Red & Black, to talk about many important life lessons.

When one of the seniors, who wanted to pursue a career in media production, learned that YES Prep had videotaped the presentation, he asked permission to create a series of YouTube videos using excerpts from our keynote presentation. Of course, we were flattered and said, "Yes." (Thank you, Aurelio Puente, for asking, and for producing such great videos!)

The videos may be “older” (but, then, so are we), but the lessons are still relevant because life lessons aren’t tied to a year, a trend, or a technology. They’re simply part of growing up, moving forward, and figuring out life … one step at a time.

Stay tuned as we'll be posting more of Aurelio’s videos, along with newer videos — both live and animated. Or, better yet, register for our Saturday newsletters, and we'll keep you updated!

Want more?

There’s always at least one item in our Shop related to cars and racing (not counting our stickers), so if you’re curious — click here.

Want a copy of the track map? Email Red (the nice one) at Red@RedandBlack.email.

student's perspective