We all know well the tradeoffs of juggling job and family, but what’s less celebrated are the many ways kids benefit from mom’s career.

Texanna M. Reeves
Clarksburg, Maryland
Vice President Corporate Diversity, Office of Diversity
Sodexo
Mom of Devin, 20

When Texanna Reeves started at food service conglomerate Sodexo, her son Devin was 16 and deeply immersed in his college search—and mom, 53, had lots of questions. Enter Sodexo’s LifeWorks program, an employee assistance program that can be used for everything from finding daycare to searching for colleges. LifeWorks gave Texanna and Devin, now a freshman at Coppin State University, in Baltimore, advice on choosing the right school, putting together an application and budgeting for spending.

“The program has been a tremendous benefit,” she says.

Texanna’s job is playing another critical role — paying for tuition. Texanna began saving for college when Devin was a baby, but stock market downturns wreaked havoc on his 529 plan. She’s grateful her salary stretches to cover his tuition, allowing her son to focus on his class work.

“He’s positioned for success by not having a mountain of debt so many studnts have as they’re going to college,” she notes. “This is a big relief for him.”

Rose Stuckey Kirk
Long Valley, New Jersey
President
Verizon Foundation
Mom of Connor, 11

At the ripe old age of 11, Connor Kirk has a well-stamped passport — thanks to his mother Rose’s job heading up Verizon’s charitable foundation. In her role, Rose travels globally working on issues ranging from improving education to domestic violence prevention.

“Working for an international company has removed the boundaries I had in my mind about places that we can go and visit and enjoy, “ says the 49 year-old executive. “Connor gets to take a vacation abroad every other year.”

 After traveling to Asia for work, for instance, Rose planned a two-week family vacation to South Korea and China, a dazzling experience. “When we were standing on the Great Wall of China, I stood very still and thought, I will always remember this moment,” she says.

This year they’re off to Greece to make more memories.

Harriet Harty
Park Ridge, Illinois
Assistant Vice President, Human Resources
Allstate
Mom of Carissa, 8

First generation Greek-American Harriet Harty counts her mother Elaine Kreatsoulas as an important role model for balancing work and family.

My mom “taught me how to be a strong woman,” Harriet, 44, says. Despite sometimes working two jobs while she raised Harriet and her two brothers, “my mom always made time for the family. … [She was] the perfect role model for me and what I want to do for my own family.”

In fact, Harriet believes Allstate has already helped get her 8-year-old daughter Carissa off to a good start in life. Carissa attended the insurer’s on-site daycare center, Little Hands, through kindergarten. Because it was right on Allstate’s grounds, Harriet could participate in school events and drop-in for a quick hug at lunchtime. When she went off to first grade, Carissa already knew how to read and do simple math.

“She absolutely loved that place,” Harriet says. “The curriculum was awesome and it prepared her for elementary school. It was a great program. She still talks about it to this day.”

Marilyn Martinez-Foushee
Warren, N.J.
Quality Services Project Manager
Chubb International Business Systems
Mom to Brittany, 14 and Brandon, 11

Thanks in part to her mom’s career, Brittany Foushee is more sophisticated and adventurous than the average 14 year old. After all, the teenager has grown up playing with French francs, Spanish pesos, newspaper clippings, souvenirs and all the art Marilyn has collected from extensive travel over a 20-year career.

On the days Marilyn works from home, Brittany hears her mom running international conference calls in a second language (Spanish.) Little wonder that Brittany recently jumped at the chance to take a school-sponsored trip to France and Italy. “My children are very intrigued by travel and seeing the world,” laughs Marilyn, 41, who balances her role as a global production coordinator for Europe and Latin America.

In fact, the moment Brittany’s passport arrived in the mail recently, brother Brandon, 11, clamored to have one too.

Raj Seshadri
New York, NY
Head of Small Business Banking
Citibank
Mom to two sons, age 8 and 10

Both Raj Seshadri and her husband have demanding, high-profile careers: He’s an attorney and she runs Citibank’s small business unit. Watching two parents pursue big dreams is giving their two sons, aged 8 and 10, a how-to in teamwork.

“My children see my husband and I sharing pretty much all responsibilities,” says Raj, 46. “Every evening one of us is home to put them to bed. We take turns doing school drop-offs, taking them to doctors’ appointments, checking their homework.”

The cooperative model, she feels is “particularly important” for her boys whom she hopes will marry women who are passionate about their careers.  Right now, though, the boys are absorbing powerful lessons from mom. “We talk about their school and we also talk about my work,” she says.

Seeing city construction, for instance, might spark a conversation about how small businesses are affected when signs are blocked or pedestrians routed off the sidewalks. They have fun brainstorming ideas for their own ventures — such as selling old toys on Ebay. “My children see what it’s like when you’re an adult engaged in something you really care about, that makes you happy,” she says. “I hope they grow up to value that.”