8 ways PR is like parenthood

1. Both are 24-hour jobs. In public relations you work many late nights and weekends to develop proposals, help clients meet their deadlines, or respond to a crisis. As a mom or dad, you’ll enjoy frequent all nighters with a sick child or get 2:00 a.m. bad dream wake up calls.

2. Bad mood, what bad mood? In a media and client driven industry, you are never “off duty.” As a public relations professional you must maintain calm, poise and be pleasant to challenging clients or editors. As a parent, your mood sets the tone for each day. Losing your cool is a no-no. You must lead by example, at home and in PR.

3. Tantrums anyone? We expect a four-year-old to have a tantrum. Unfortunately, client, celebrity, or colleague tantrums are commonplace in the type-A filled public relations profession. Your ability to maintain composure and effectively diffuse a tantrum is an essential skill as a parent and a manager.

4. Weird food. In my public relations travels I tried everything from alligator to zebra to sea urchin. As a mom, I’ve sampled many weird “recipes” that my proud daughters have created. Yum.