Why You Should Stop Judging Pregnant CEO Marissa Mayer

Why do we care so much about the choices that other women make about having children and their careers?

It always shocks me when there is a backlash against a woman who dares to make her own way when it comes to navigating career and motherhood. Sure, there are a few crazies out there — like the New Jersey mother who took her five year-old daughter tanning — whose choices we may legitimately criticize. But even in that instance, is this the best use of our collective judgment?

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By criticizing someone who makes a different choice than what we have made and making them "wrong" we make ourselves "right," thus satisfying our egotistical need to feel better than others. For most women, parenting is the thing we want to be best at. Those who are appalled by Marissa Mayer's two-week maternity leave or worried about how her child will navigate his mommy's 16-hour workday likely have some serious doubts about their own parenting choices. What's Your Procrastination Personality?

There are no easy choices when it comes to parenting, how we balance our individual ambitions with the needs of our children and what sacrifices we make. I can't think of one woman who, when being completely honest, is guilt-, worry-, regret- or resentment-free about her work and motherhood balance. Why We Should Pause & Say 'Congratulations' To Marissa Mayer

Instead of being concerned about a woman whose life looks different than our own, we should celebrate the fact that we live in a time when women have more choice and opportunity to navigate their own paths. Women can be CEOs, stay-at-home moms, entrepreneurs or employees. Some women do not have to work, yet go to work anyway. Meanwhile, other women make the choice to stay home. 4 Surprising Facts About Single Mothers

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Each of these women is doing the best she can and making the best decisions for herself and her children. Aren't we past the point where we actually think that achieving our own dreams, goals and ambitions will harm our children? For some women, that dream looks like parenting full-time, and for others, it looks like being the CEO of Yahoo. Cheers to the diversity of dreams.

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