Emma Grede’s Three-Hour Mum Comment Sparks Working Mom Debate

Emma Grede’s comment about being a “max three-hour mum” on weekends sparked a heated parenting debate after she described her approach in a Wall Street Journal interview.

The SKIMS cofounder and mother of four said she focuses on creating “high-impact, core memories” with her children rather than spending extended time with them, prompting reactions ranging from validation to outrage.

Grede responded to the backlash during an April 14 appearance on “Today with Jenna and Sheinelle,” saying she was “caught off guard” by the intensity of the viral response and that women entrepreneurs are “held to such an impossible standard both as parents, but also as businesswomen.”

The discussion highlighted the pressures working mothers face to be present at home while remaining ambitious at work — a balance that often feels impossible to get right.

Business Insider spoke to four high-achieving mothers about their perspectives on time, presence, and managing competing demands of work and family.

Alex Otto: Reevaluating Quality Time

Alex Otto, a marketing consultant and mother of three, said she lived the experience from the child’s perspective, recalling her mother was a corporate banker in the 90s who was likely away from home just as much.

Otto remembered that most of her time with her mother happened in the mornings and evenings — busy parts of the day involving getting ready for school, winding down, dinner, and baths — which made her question whether those were actually quality hours.

She emphasized the importance of a strong support system to maintain a career like Grede’s.

When asked how she defines enough time with her children, Otto said she doesn’t know how to define it and is still figuring it out, noting that even though she’s with her kids a lot, she doesn’t always feel like she’s giving each of them the undivided attention they deserve.

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She believes balance shifts depending on the season of life, and right now, with young children who need a lot, it feels like a constant juggle.

Otto wants a balanced life and doesn’t think doing only career or only family is the answer, but she doesn’t yet know exactly where that line is.

On guilt, fulfillment, and ambition, she said her kids are incredibly fulfilling, but so is her work — she’s gone back to school for her MBA, which challenges and fulfills her in a different way.

She thinks mothers need things that stimulate them outside their children, not just self-care but real intellectual or professional fulfillment.

Otto believes conversations like this are incredibly important because they’re not just a “mom problem” — they involve the entire family, including partners and workplaces.

The more we talk about how hard This proves to balance raising kids, running a household, and building a career, the better, and it helps remind bosses and leaders how challenging it really is.

Crystal Foote: Validating the Struggle

Crystal Foote, an entrepreneur and mother of two who co-founded Digital Culture Group, agreed with Grede’s perspective.

Foote said schedules change day to day and it’s hard to balance everything when building something at that level, questioning who anyone is to shame a mother for building billion-dollar brands while raising multiple children.

She emphasized that Grede is trying to do it all, and that’s not easy.

When defining enough time with her children, Foote said she can’t quantify it, as every week is different, and it’s about making it work in real time.

On guilt, fulfillment, and ambition, Foote shared that she had to make real sacrifices, citing a time when she had a conference in New York the same week as her kids’ spring break trip to the Bahamas.

She couldn’t cancel the conference due to a panel, sponsorship, and meetings with major brands, so she flew to the Bahamas for a few days, then back to New York, then back again.

While she didn’t spend every possible hour with her kids that week, she’s building something to provide for them long term.

Foote believes these conversations help because honest discussions from women in leadership — like a CMO or founder — speaking openly about reality, even with backlash, help normalize the experience and stop everything from being framed through outdated gender roles.

It allows women to define success on their own terms.

Mandy Castillo: Rejecting the Model

Mandy Castillo, owner of Prigel Family Creamery and mother of two, rejected Grede’s parenting style outright.

Castillo said she couldn’t feel more opposite from that approach, stating her kids are her favorite people and she wants to spend as much time with them as possible.

Everything she does is either building something for them or figuring out how to bring them into what she’s doing so they can be together.

When defining enough time with her children, Castillo said she doesn’t think there is “enough,” noting that when you really think about how little time you have before they grow up and no longer need you in the same way, it changes everything.

She mentioned her oldest is about to turn 14 and she can already see how fast time is going, so every second she has with them is one less second she gets — for her, she’ll take any opportunity to be with them.

On guilt, fulfillment, and ambition, Castillo said it depends on the support at home, which matters — her dad was at everything growing up, and that’s the standard she wants for her kids.

She acknowledged that moms still carry a different kind of mental load, even when both parents work, taking on more day-to-day details and the “magic” of the home.

Castillo recalled building a business while raising babies at the same time, with moments where she felt like she was failing on both ends.

She took her kids everywhere with her — to work, to jobs, to everything — because she didn’t have another option.

It’s not that she doesn’t want to be with her kids. it’s that doing both at the same time is really hard.

Castillo believes conversations like this help because there’s no one right way to do this — everyone’s situation is different, from finances to childcare to where you live.

Talking to other moms who are figuring it out is encouraging; you won’t get it perfectly right, but you’ll try, adjust, and keep going — what matters is building that relationship with your kids.

Ashleigh Coaxum: Valuing Intentionality

Ashleigh Coaxum, owner of Paper Herald, a stationery store in Baltimore, and mother of two, was impressed that Grede put a number on her experience.

Coaxum thought Grede was being realistic, noting it’s hard to juggle being the CEO of your house and the CEO of your business.

The fact that Grede can quantify her time shows she’s intentional about it, with time for play and time for work.

When defining enough time with her children, Coaxum said she doesn’t think there is “enough” time.

She tries to be mindful of the season her family is in — if her kids need more from her emotionally or socially, she adjusts her schedule, making her approach more fluid.

At the end of the day, your children are with you for life, so you don’t want to shortchange them in the short term and have it impact them long term.

On guilt, fulfillment, and ambition, Coaxum said ambition comes with a lot of sacrifice, and balancing it isn’t easy.

A village and a supportive spouse are so important to make it all work, and it also depends on the season you’re in with your children — all of those factors matter when it comes to balance.

Coaxum believes the conversation is a bit misplaced, as people are doing the best they can.

These kinds of takes might make for good sound bites, but they don’t actually help parents figure out how to balance raising kids while also providing a stable life.