Celebrating mom every day of the year at work
Like Thanksgiving and Christmas, Mother’s Day, for many, is among the handful of times when mothers and their children spend time together.
Terra Singer, 27, and her mother, Robin Strickler, 58, who both live in Newport Beach, will start Mother’s Day with a hike.
Cassie Hammond booked a room at Lido House in Newport Beach, where she will be joined by her son Chris Moreno, 46, his twin brother Mark, and their families.
But the day following Mother’s Day, after mothers and their children have said goodbye, Singer and Strickler, and Moreno and Hammond will still be together.
And for the other days of the week.
Hammond and Strickler are mothers who are in the unique situation of working with their children.
Six months ago, Singer joined Design Works, her mother’s interior design firm in Irvine. Strickler started the business in 1991.
Moreno and his mother are partners in the Newport Beach real estate firm Hammond, Moreno and Associates at Surterre Properties. Moreno began working with his mother in 2005.
Moreno and Singer cherish the working relationship and having the ability to spend extra time with their mothers.
“I thank God for this all the time,” said Moreno, who owned two restaurants by age 29 and is co-owner of the Newport Beach Athletic Club Cafe. “I think about how lucky I am to have this quality time with my mom plus really educational time. She was and still is my mentor.”
Singer feels equally blessed but admits to having had one minor reservation before going to work in her mother’s business.
“Just because we are so close and we are best friends, so we worried that there might be too much time together,” said Singer, who spent five years working in public relations for high-end fashion designers.
Singer and her mom find themselves sometimes “twinning,” accidentally showing up at work dressed in similar outfits.
Both mother-child teams see that a heightened sense of loyalty has a huge advantage in the working relationship.
In the past, Strickler said, designers would leave the company and take their clients with them.
That is a non-issue with her daughter.
Nor is it with Hammond and her son.
Said Hammond: “You are not afraid to let the other person shine. A lot of times, when we are in negotiations, and you see how somebody responds to one or the other, so whoever you are seeing get the best response, you just let that person take it. In other kinds of relationships, there isn’t that generosity to let somebody else take the credit.”
Mothers want to see their child excel, Moreno said.
“To have someone who really cares about your well-being and success is so invaluable,” he said. “A mom is more invested than another boss would likely be.”
Singer said she inherited her mother’s work ethic.
“She is the hardest worker I know,” Singer said. “And she made this whole company and it’s flourished tremendously.
It’s not always the parent doing the mentoring, Strickler said.
In many situations, Strickler said she learns from her daughter.
“She has drastically improved our marketing via social media which has expanded our business,” Strickler said. “She also brings the best practices she learned from working in a more corporate setting into our realm. This has been great because I’m a little more relaxed as far as work environment and she has shown me the business benefits of adding corporate elements and structure to our workplace. These changes have enhanced our business and our relationship.”
Working with your child does present challenges, said Hammond, who noted she has to be careful to not be overbearing with her son.
“You can’t micromanage your kid,” Hammond said. “Let them go their own way within the framework of the business.”
Then there is this question:
In professional settings, does the child call the parent “Mom?”
Singer calls her mother by her name, Robin, but said it took a while to get used to it.
Moreno said he usually introduces his mother as his partner, “otherwise known as my mom.”
“If the time is not right, I will reference her as Cassie,” he said.
As for advice for mothers who might consider bringing their children on board, both mother-child teams stress the importance of keeping the relationship professional at work.
“Treat your kids like you would all other employees on the team,” Strickler said. “I think you have to have a mutual respect for each other and really have to forget you are their parent.”
Singer agrees and approaches her role the same as she would in any other job.
“My mentality here at work is that she is just my boss,” Singer said.
Lou Ponsi is a contributor to Times Community News.
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