Tuesday, May 14, 2013

Johnson & Johnson's For All You Love.

Johnson & Johnson has a new campaign that makes me feel so incredibly warm and gooey. It's called For All You Love, and it applauds the selflessness and generosity of caregivers (including Moms!) and shares all the ways people extol that love. In celebration of Mother's Day, Johnson & Johnson is donating 25k to Save the Children, an organization committed to helping mothers and children world-wide. Which is pretty spectacular.

Here's a short (and adorable) introductory vid for your viewing pleasure: (PSA: This video has made me tear up and snarfle some I'm-Not-Crying tears. I think it may be the song. Or the babies. Or the sentiment. Either way, enjoy!)




Four years ago, I was a gal who was deathly afraid of needles. Despite this, I applied for the job of Carrying A Baby To Term and underwent a rigorous application process. It involved blood draw after blood draw after blood draw (leading me to suspect that they had a master plan of draining me dry over 40 weeks), and ultimately culminated with me walking in to the O.R. to remove my stuck child with the help of an IV and a big ol’ spinal.

Close to two years later- and with the exact same pinchy application process- I became a branch manager.

Each time, I found myself eagerly waking to the sounds of my daughters’ midnight cries for food and comfort and perhaps a clean diaper because a) endorphins are very real, very funny things, and b) I was thrilled to be the CEO of my new corporation, Moms With The Necessary Equipment ‘R Us. (Me.)



This job isn't for the faint of heart. The hourly wage is lousy, and is usually paid out with Hello Kitty cash, pre-chewed. Office tantrums can halt an entire day’s progress. And the working conditions can be downright harsh/sticky/loud.

But I've cheerfully trudged through. I've gotten used to fewer (and lesser quality) hours of sleep. Showers have become a luxury- and one that can easily be pushed back a few hours/days if someone needs to be comforted after a nightmare or convinced that her Goldfish aren't “feeling angry.” And on at least one unfortunate occasion, I've crushed a yellow-jacket in my bare hand to spare my kid’s forehead (and simultaneously made up a story about Bee Heaven).

That’s not to say that this position doesn't have its bonuses.

Because for every 2am shower-steaming session, every 6am sheet-changing escapade, and every 11am suspicious thud followed by a panicked “Mom,” there’s a traced hand proudly presented on a construction paper heart. A freshly shampooed head resting on my shoulder that can make me feel like childhood will last forever. And the crazy knowledge that, for all the degrees and training sessions in the whole wide world, not one person could be my kids’ mother better than me.

Who needs overtime pay?

***

JOHNSON’S® Baby has established JOHNSON’S® Baby CARES Care Cards, a digital e-card platform encouraging moms to share positive messages of encouragement with other moms across the country, while simultaneously supporting Save the Children®.  You can help, too!  Simply pick and share a card filled with messages of reassurance for a Mom in your life on Facebook at http://www.johnsonsbabycares.com. For every card sent, shared or liked, JOHNSON’S®  Baby will donate $1.00 to Save the Children® (up to $150,000) to benefit early childhood education programs that foster education and reassurance for new moms. These cards will not only spread encouragement to Moms throughout the country but will also provide Moms in need with the skills and knowledge to successfully support their child’s growth.

I was compensated for my work with Johnson & Johnson, but opinions are my own. 

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