The Tamesis
Forget about the 9-to-5. Motherhood doesn’t have a schedule – it often feels more like 5 to 9 or everything in between. In this series, we explore the busy, chaotic, sometimes wonderful, and often frustrating career of being a mother and maintaining a life of your own. Consider it a “day in the life” and commemorate those forgotten times.
Today, we follow Megan Fairchild at a particularly poignant moment: in the final days of her nearly 25-year career with the New York City Ballet. Fairchild, known for her crystalline technique and unwavering presence in Balanchine’s repertoire, is preparing to take her final bow in the Balanchine repertoire. Coppelia He later retired from the stage and moved to Bordeaux, France with her husband and three daughters.
But off the stage, Fairchild’s days look less like those of a prima ballerina and more like those of a mother, juggling school breaks, mismatched socks, lunchbox demands and physical exhaustion. “My children are the best part of my life,” she wrote. “There’s nothing better than spending time with them.”
In these images and journal entries, Fairchild reflects on pointe shoes, Pilates, French classes, cold diving, and the reality of what she calls “an amazing working mom”—all while enjoying the final stretch of a career she says she’s ready, even excited, to leave.
7:00 am
Photography: OK McCausland
I wake up at 6:30 in the morning, usually without an alarm, and sneak in a quiet cup of coffee before the kids get too noisy. I set up a heating pad on the bed and checked my surroundings on my phone while I waited for the coffee to arrive. From 7am to 7:45am we are all scrambling to get ready for school. I make breakfast for the girls and pack their lunches while they eat. I have a twin who makes these ridiculous lunch requests and I grant her requests because it makes her happy. The other two had lunch boxes with sandwiches and snacks, but she insisted on having a hot lunch in a thermos, just like her friends at school.
7:15 am
For breakfast we had brioche, eggs and fruit. Harlow also asked for a bowl of Fruit Loops every day. I tried to get healthier versions, but no one would touch them – so I gave in again. She always drinks milk after milk so I think it’s a cleanse. We are moving to France this summer and I’ve tried my best to prepare her for the lack of fruit loops there, ha!
