Ann Curry : 4 Best Tips For Working Moms

Don't try to be perfect: "Forgive yourself."

Accept imperfection . When she was younger , "I lived with this insane standard about how I needed to mother ," Curry says. "I had to be perfect at work , perfect at home , keep a perfect home , have my kids be perfectly dressed , always be happy , always make the food that they wanted , make sure they they got into the best summer program. My advice is to forgive yourself for not meeting those standards that is really insane . You're asking to much of yourself.

Divide and conquer :Curry is up and out early ... way early ...with a 3:45 a.m. wake up call. She relies on husband of 22 years, software executive Brian Ross , for early duty.

"He's the guy who gets the kids up , gets them breakfast , drives them to school," says Curry.But she covers the afternoons and evening ; I was always the one who met with the teachers ,picked them up from school, make dinner , helped with homework , put them to bed ."

Don't multitask as a mom: "If you're with your  children , you need to be 100% present," Curry says . That means ; When you're with the kids , ignore the blackberry and iPad . But when you're at work , you work with 100% focus , because guess what ? Working is taking care of your children; It's paying for dental care , it's putting money in the bank for their college fund , it's making sure they have enough food to eat."

Validate them :When Curry has to miss a holiday , a school event or a sports game , she checks in with her kids ; "It's a conversation . As long as you're letting them know how important they are , then they're going to understand ."