Chamber holds luncheon for working moms

Working moms can talk about their frustrations, successes and unique experiences at the Greater Raleigh Chamber of Commerce's Working Mothers' Luncheon next Thursday.

The event, one of a couple of special programs just for working mothers each year, will give woman a chance to seek guidance and share advice with other working moms just like them.

Rachel Arendt, a member of the chamber's working mother task force and a full-time real estate agent with REMAX United, said this is the one program moms request every year.

"I've found people ask for it again and again," she told me. "It gives the mothers the chance to really connect with moms with kids who are the same ages, in some of the same situations they are going through."

The roundtable program groups moms by different interests - the age of their kids, special needs, multiples, etc. There's a list of questions at each table, but Arendt said the conversation depends on what the moms want to talk about.

Soon-to-be mothers and those who are planning for motherhood someday in the near future are also encouraged to attend.

It's 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at the Raleigh Marriott Crabtree Valley. Tickets are $35 per employee from companies that are chamber members and $50 for non-members. That includes lunch.

"The main thing that I would stress is that it’s important for working mothers to take time out for themselves," she said. "And I think they feel guilty when they do it. But every time I do it, I feel so glad I took that time out."