Logistics at a Crossroads, Vol. 16 Not a Mom, But Always There

 



A Mother’s Day Reflection from the Women Holding Invisible Loads

In logistics, you learn to expect the unexpected. Delays. Re-routes. Last-minute coverage. You pivot — because the operation has to move. But behind the pivot? It’s often the same people — the women without children, the ones assumed to have more time. The ones who never say no.

I am one of them.

I am childless — not by choice.
I am an ovarian cancer survivor.
I have experienced pregnancy, but never held a child in my arms.
And every Mother's Day, I feel that ache echo.


🚨 The Invisible Workforce

We are the sisters, aunts, friends, and colleagues who pick up the slack when daycare falls through. We’re the ones who cover your shift when your child is sick. We’re the safe call in a crisis. Yet come Mother's Day, we are often invisible.

“You’re not a mom,” they say.
But you weren’t saying that when you needed us.
You weren’t saying that when we showed up — over and over again.


🧳 Misunderstood Responsibilities

Being childless doesn’t mean being carefree.
Many of us:

  • Care for aging parents or disabled siblings
  • Mentor young family members
  • Organize support networks for our friends and communities
  • Show up without conditions — even while carrying our own grief

⚖️ Where Equity Breaks Down

In logistics, this translates into:

  • Picking up late shifts
  • Getting skipped for prime vacation dates
  • Being the default backup, always expected to "understand"

It’s not bitterness — it’s burnout.
It’s not resentment — it’s reality.
And it’s time we talk about it.


💬 What Can Be Done?

If you're in a leadership role:

Don’t equate “no kids” with “more availability”
Recognize all types of caregiving
Distribute workload by capacity, not stereotypes
Build time-off policies that support all employees
Make space for stories that arent often told


🧭 A Logistics Operation Worth Running

Let this Mother's Day be the one where we see the women who hold up others, often without acknowledgment. Whether it’s through a shift trade or a silent sacrifice, their contributions are no less maternal, no less vital, no less worthy of recognition.

To the women who always step in, even when their hearts are quietly breaking —
You are not invisible here.

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