January 14, 2005

Silicon Valley Mom

By Dona Nichols
Special to the Times

The term “Silicon Valley Mom” speaks volumes about most of us females raising our children in the Bay Area.

Unlike the mothers elsewhere, say in Fatmouth, Mont., for instance, Silicon Valley Moms are the queens of multitasking. Just living in the Silicon Valley doesn’t give you license to call yourself a Silicon Valley Mom, but you might be if…

- You’ve ever expressed milk while checking your voice mail messages.

- You’ve nursed a child while sending an e-mail.

- You didn’t consider motherhood until your 35th birthday and even then it was part of your “to do” list.

- You ever used a computer to chart your ovulation.

- You have used drop-in childcare so you could take a nap.

- Your children have their own Web sites.

- Your child has soccer practice on Mondays, piano lessons on Tuesdays, scouts on Wednesdays, gymnastics on
Thursdays, French lessons on Fridays and you’re still worried that you’re not providing her with enough extracurricular activities.

- You’ve enlisted help to bring up your children’s SAT scores and none of them are older than 13.

- You have no problem with your 12-year-old son dying his hair and piercing his ears, but you’d ground him for two weeks if he forgot to recycle his juice can.

- You’ve ever offered to drop your kids somewhere solely because it allowed you to use the diamond lane.

- Your change purse contains 17 Chuck E. Cheese tokens, a cough drop and a lint ball.

- You’ve ever changed a diaper while waiting to get on the freeway.

- You have to check your child’s Palm-Pilot before committing to a play date.

- Taking an Apple to school means your kid has an iBook.

- Your children have been adept at using cell phones, text messaging and voice mail since they were 4 years old.

- You don’t allow your kids to drink anything with caffeine, but you couldn’t survive without it.

- You get up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom and figure you might as well check your e-mail while you’re up.

- You panic if you can’t find the 2-for-1 Spaghetti-O’s coupon but don’t mind paying $4.50 for a “non-fat, double-frap, no-whip” at your favorite coffee spot.

Sadly, with exception to the Friday French lessons, the above list pretty much describes my 11-year-tenure as a Silicon Mom.” Personally, I believe that these trends are proof that mothers in this part of the universe have evolved into a society of over-achievers.

But then again, considering our decadent lifestyles during the late eighties, maybe we’re just making up for lost time.

Dona Nichols teaches journalism at San Jose State University and Evergreen Valley College and does stand-up comedy on the side at the Improv in downtown San Jose. She lives in Evergreen with her husband and three children.

Are you an Evergreen resident with a Silicon Valley Mom story to share with your community? E-mail your submission to Editor Bea Baechle, bea@timesmediainc.com.