Woman's Letter Defending Her Right to Be a Working Mom Goes Viral
Susan Keogh said she took to Twitter because she didn't want to be judged.
— -- A mom who works as a radio personality in Ireland couldn't believe one man's tweet.
"I blocked him straight away," Susan Keogh told ABC News of the offensive tweet. "It basically said, 'If you miss your kid while you're at work so much, you probably should give up your job.'"
Keogh, who is mom to 4-year-old Faith, said she decided to pen a letter to the man after she couldn't sleep because of his criticism. The letter, which she tweeted, has been “liked” more than 1,500 times.
The 35-year-old working mom wrote, "Dear Brave Man...I like my job. It's really important to me. Not saving lives important, I get that, but it's important to me. I enjoy it. It makes me happy & content. And as a result a better mom."
Keogh, who lives with her family in Dublin, said the criticism moms receive, starting at pregnancy, is sometimes overwhelming.
"It's difficult because you always second-guess yourself as a mom and you're hoping the decisions you make now won't have ill effect down the line but nobody has a crystal ball and all you can do is do your best," she told ABC News. "If I was a stay-at-home mom, I'd have the same fears."
Still, Keogh said it's important that her daughter see her working.
"I want her to see me as a fully functioning person," she explained. "She's the heart and soul of me, but I have other things to do. I don't work so she has some brilliant career. I just want her to do whatever makes her happy down the line."
Keogh said her husband, Stephen, who is a morning radio personality, doesn't get the same critiques about his parenting. The two split their time caring for their daughter, with Stephen missing her daughter's mornings and Keogh missing her daughter's evenings.
"Nobody has ever commiserated with him the fact that he's not there when she wakes up. I can't tell you how many times people say, 'Wow, you miss bedtime?' And that makes me second-guess my decision."
Keogh said her letter wasn't intended for the man who tried to shame her online because she blocked him. She just needed to get her thoughts off her chest.
"I'm not some sort of spokesperson for women who work outside of the home. I just hope women who are mothers, whether they found it's best for them to stay at home or go out and work, do whatever they feel it's best to do," she said. "What annoyed me is that guy judged me and I really don't want to judge anyone."