- Bowser adopted her daughter, 2-year-old Miranda, in May 2018.
- She's been open about the rewards and challenges of single motherhood, and motherhood in general.
- In honor of Mother's Day, Business Insider highlights six lesson from the mayor on what it's like being called "Mom."
- Visit Business Insider's homepage for more stories .
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The best lessons on motherhood from the mayor of DC, who is looking after the nation's capital through the coronavirus crisis while raising a 2-year-old daughter as a single mom
Washington, DC Mayor Muriel Bowser isn't just leading the nation's capital through a pandemic, she's serving as a political leader while being a single mom.
Muriel Bowser 4
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Mayor Muriel Bowser has two jobs right now: leading the nation's capital through a pandemic, and caring for her 2-year-old daughter, Miranda, as a single mother.
While her workload and professional responsibilities drastically differ from most, she and millions of mothers across the US, have something in common: their personal lives have shifted due to the novel coronavirus pandemic.
Normally, for example, Bowser and Miranda, who she adopted in May 2018, have their weekends to catch up on play time. But these past few weeks look a bit different, she told CNN . Miranda's highchair is now in Bowser's home office, where the mayor has been working through the weekends. And the TV is on a bit more than usual.
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"It was different because normally she wouldn't be in my office and I wouldn't let her watch TV, but we had to figure out how to make that work because I had some work that I had to get done, and she adjusted it," she told CNN.
It's just one of many times Bowser has been candid about juggling work while being a single mother. Since adopting Miranda, the mayor has been open about her personal life. In honor of Mother's Day, here are six lessons from Bowser on being a mom and raising a child on her own.
Being a single mom is no easy feat, and sometimes you need to rely on friends and family to help you get by.
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"I have learned how hard it is," Bowser said in an interview with Washington D.C's Fox 5 . "I'm lucky that I have a great family, a great set of friends. I have a great team at the office as well. We haven't dropped the ball in any respects. But I have had to learn how to get a lot packed into shorter time."
She makes sure she has special one-on-one time with her daughter, usually in the mornings before work gets too busy.
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Muriel Bowser
"When I'm with Miranda in the morning, that is just our time. To wake up, get her dressed, read to her in the morning, and I try not to be interrupted. That's not always possible; We'll make up for that time," she told American University radio WAMU .
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Deciding who should care for your child when youre at work is a difficult decision.
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"I have taken a crash course in how to manage child care and picked the right options for my daughter, and I realized how much of an excruciating, in some ways, decision that it is. You got to leave her and you got to trust somebody to love her as much, and that is not easy," she told Fox 5.
Juggling a full-time job and being a mom can be a lot to manage.
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"I won't say it's always easy because there are always a lot of competing demands," Bowser told WAMU.
She is "grateful" for the lessons her daughter has taught her.
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Muriel Bowser
"I knew that I had a lot of love to pour into a child," she told TODAY .
When she announced her adoption, Bowser has called moments with her daughter "precious," saying she's so " grateful " to be a mom.
She has big dreams for her daughters future and wants her to know that she worked hard.
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Muriel Bowser
"I want her to be able to say that my mom worked hard," Bowser told Fox 5.
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