Jennifer Jolly | Special to USA TODAYA few months ago, I was talking with a mom friend of mine who had not worked – outside of her home and the daily care of her four children, that is – since shortly after her first son was born 12 years ago. Before kids, she had not one but two gratifying careers, first as a schoolteacher, then as a registered nurse. Through the parent grapevine, she heard about an opening for a school nurse at her oldest son’s school and wondered aloud whether she should apply. “That’s so perfect for you!” I exclaimed. “You’ve been talking about going back to work. … You’re going for it, right?” “Are you kidding?” she said. “I have no references, no letters of recommendation. How do I even begin to explain not working for the past 12 years?” TALKING TECH NEWSLETTER: Sign up for our guide to the week’s biggest tech newsWhile I assured her that no one in their right mind would think that raising four kids – including homeschooling during the pandemic, juggling schedules for four children ages 4 to 12 and attending to every single need to keep a human alive – was equivalent to “not working,” the latest employment numbers, survey data and some…
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