Six mom coding superpowers

As a mom, I get the opportunity to talk to lots of other moms - I’m a bit of an introvert, so I don’t always take this opportunity, but that is a story for another day. So often, moms will hear what I do (currently a full stack developer and indie-preneur) and begin telling me how they simply could not do it. You know what? I’m tired of hearing that. Moms have the essential traits that make a successful coder/developer.

Today, I want to celebrate the qualities in moms that lend themselves to this success. I want to dispell the myth that good developers are young greasy dudes in basements or whatever is the opposite of a mom. I am going to take six qualities of moms and show how they directly translate into coding. Mom is: Observant, Independent, Creative, Balancing, Caring, and Tireless.

Before I get started, two definitions:

• Mom: One who is raising or has raised children
• Coding: Programmatically causing things to happen

Observant

God could not be everywhere, and therefore he made mothers.

— Rudyard Kipling

Moms can see the sticky on a kid’s face from a mile away, knows where everything is, and can sense the volume of cereal remaining in the box from the way the kid is carrying it. Yes, she is observant. She observes not only with her eyes and ears, but with that little sense under the surface.

Being observant is essential in coding in two main ways.

First, observation is essential in knowing what is going on with the actual code - the inputs to outputs. The key point in all of programmaing is to do a thing and make another thing happen. When you observe the result is or is not what is intended - that is where the magic happens.

Second, observation is essential in eventually making useful things. Seeing gaps in the world or problems or ways that you can make things better opens the door to applied programming and making the world a better place. What kinds of things do you see in your everyday life that have a system to them? Could they be improved? Maybe your mom observation turns into a better way to collaborate with your local kid art club or a more fun way to learn music, or a faster way to … I really don’t have all the ideas, but that is the beauty - each mom will observe different things. What you see can unlock a whole new world for people traveling on your path.

Independent

A Mother is she who can take the place of all others, But whose place no one else can take!

— Cardinal Mermillod

Have you ever seen a mom carrying two kids and 8 grocery bags? Or maybe you’ve been that mom? Yeah, moms are independent. Of course, it is great when you have people to help out. If those folks don’t show, though, mom has it covered.

Independence is helpful in coding because it is the attitude that moves moms to problem solving rather than solution waiting. Some days, the distance between getting something done and staring at a screen in vain is entirely solved by brute strength of will. Moms know how to just do it when it needs to happen.

Word of caution, though - independence is great, isolation is not. There is a growing community of coding moms that is supportive and welcoming. Even if you can get moving on your own and solve your own problems, other opinions or even cheers and motivation can keep you going. Share your hardships, share your wins. Share. Here, I’ll give a shout out to the Moms Can Code community that is so wonderful.

Creative

A mother is a person who seeing there are only four pieces of pie for five people, promptly announces she never did care for pie.

— Tenneva Jordan

Not all moms are creating watercolors or usable clay vessels, but all moms are creative. Creativity is about problem solving as much as it is about art. I’ve seen moms improvise so many ways to keep a story going, to entertain a child, to demonstrate an idea, to save money, etc. Moms can look around a room and know 17 things to do immediately.

kid: “I’m bored”

mom: “Why don’t you” <looks around quickly> “…”

repeat 8,000 times.

This persistent creativity in the face of challenge is what can help moms solve problems that others cannot. Moms can see a thousand solutions to one problem. In coding, there are so many problems and so many potential solutions. Moms are naturally able to think within the context and limits of whatever framework they are in to come up with a possible solution. If that one doesn’t work, moms can come up with another possible solution.

Balancing

There is no way to be a perfect mother, but a million ways to be a good one.

— Jill Churchill

Balance may be at the core of motherhood. Not that silly life balance work, family, play crap but balancing all the things that need to happen. Moms drive the family car and the family calendar. They ensure that everyone gets food, washing, sleep, clothing, time outside, time inside, reading time, to school, to sports, etc. Mom balances it all in the way that works for her family. She knows that what works today may not work tomorrow, and she rebalances.

That sense of balance helps with coding, too. Moms know when to focus on different things and when to shift focus. Moms can balance the user requests with the system limitations. More importantly, perhaps, moms balance the goals and ideals with the possible. Practicality beats out perfection!

Caring

Most mothers are instinctive philosophers.

— Harriet Beecher Stowe

Moms care about their kids. They also care about the other kids, the other moms, the dads, the dogs, the weird cartoon character that the kids like… Moms care. Sometimes, we can get a little too caring, and at those times, we need our friends to pull us back. However, usually, caring is a good quality - in moms and coders.

Because this is so bottomless, I’ll just list a few things that we need to care about when coding:

• The User - this person who is using what you made, how do they feel when they use it? How can you make it better?
• The Uncertain User - how can you help them understand what is going on? how they benefit?
• The Experience - how do people feel now that they have your solution? how could it be better?
• The Colleague/Collaborator - how do they feel when you comment on their code? Can you lift them up?
• The New Mom Coder - how do they feel when they look out at the vast opportunities? how can you support them?

It is caring that makes the difference. If you care about the people who work for you, with you, with your products, you will be better at making said products. Moms care, and deeply - this connection cannot be faked, it must be practiced and come from the heart. There you go, a leg up in the world because you :green_heart:.

Tireless

If evolution really works, how come mothers only have two hands?

— Milton Berle

Anyone who has cared for a child knows how to work through the hard times, through the sleepy times, through the more hard times. This perserverence is essential to surviving as a mom (although self-care is important) and to thriving as a developer. It is essential because in both instances the hard times are really hard.

As a mother, giving up is not an option. That toughness really pays off as a developer. There are times when you have been troubleshooting for 8 hours or can’t find the right keywords on google or stack overflow. Eventually, it comes down to continuing to try.

Just keep coding…just keep coding - and with that, I will share my quite awful Dory that I made with CSS when trying a daily css images challenge. It is not perfect, but I learned something from it. Yay!

See the Pen 5 Dory #dailycssimages by jess (@jessachandler) on CodePen.

=== I typed most of this with one hand, while my other held a paper towel to my bloody nose - a gift from when my oldest was a baby and headbutted me right in the schnoz

Ah, motherhood.