At some point, we all need to grow up and can’t be the little sister, little cousin or the baby anymore. We now have babies of our own to coo coo over!
Two years ago, when my Mum passed away, it was life changing. I went from knowing she’d always be at the end of the phone (several times a day) – forever my cheerleader – to not knowing who to call. No group of people combined could replace her.
Are you a mum who sets yourself crazy high standards? It takes a lot to be the amazing, domestic goddess and a career high flyer too are. Here are some tips to help you become an even more successful working mum, without reaching the limit (if you have more tips – send them in – sharing is caring).
With life often pulling us in all manner of different directions, juggling family and business can often be one of life’s greatest challenges.
But, if you have landed on my blog, you’re already nailing work, business, money and being a mum! After all, anyone can turn their talents into a business and do what they love, even if you are busy nurturing your little ones. You just have to have the drive and determination to turn your vision into a reality.
I remember conversations with a close relative of mine (also a mum) – always on a Saturday, because the weekdays were so hectic – which would have a running theme: dreading Sunday because it meant hours until Monday. Can you imagine that?
Making a decision about if, when and how to return to work after having a baby is one fraught with complexity and is utterly personal. It is certainly a topic that lots of people feel strongly about, but each family has to make its own decision about what is right for them, and there is lots to consider. Suzanne Todd, head of family law at Withers Worldwide (and a working mum herself!), provides a comment piece on the stories behind recent stats on the number of working mums.
I had an amazing conversation with one of my favourite cousins recently (you know who you are, Canada! Lol), and we spoke about what can happen to friendships when you start a business. The main focus of our conversation was the fact that when you start a business, priorities and interests can change or become more time consuming, affecting relationships.
If you’re anything like us this May Half Term will have you singing the same tune – “turn the lights off, turn the telly off, if you’re not watching it.” Young people and electricity usage awareness go together like water and oil, but you’ve got a week to get them thinking the right thoughts.
There’s no reason mums can’t turn their talents to any job role. We see hundreds of inspiring stories every week, where mums have done just that. However, childcare commitments might mean that it’s tough holding down a full or part-time salaried role — so setting your own hours as a self-employed entrepreneur is a sensible (an very viable) solution these days.
You’re waiting for your payment from a client, but it’s well overdue. What should you do to get your well-earned paycheck? The last thing you want to do is begin a feud that you can’t afford and quite frankly shouldn’t have to deal with. Instead of things getting messy and spiralling out of control, go through these steps and escalate the problem further if need be.
So, if you’re a regular Mothers Who Work reader, you’ll be accustomed with some of the self-help book reviews that we often share. It’s done with no commercial reasons behind it. Self-help is the way forward and without the time (and sometimes the money) to go to a life coach, counsellor or any empowerment expert, books and audiobooks are definitely the way forward.
One such book is the Four Agreements by Don Miguel Ruiz. I personally love this book because it’s so different. It covers offence, why we get offended, why other people offend us, and why it even exists in the world. It covers how to make sure you never take offence again and how to make sure you don’t. This may seem a little airy fairy when you read about it, but just think about it: how many people grate on us on an average day. Whether it’s that slow driver who just won’t go up a couple of miles an hour so you can get to your child’s school in the nick of time, or that irritating colleague who is always rubbing you up the wrong way…or your spouse, or your teenager, or the delivery guy, or… The truth is there are so many instances for someone to try to steal our joy.
Is it just me or does anyone else want to scratch something when someone tries to change their name? So, ny name is Joycellyn. It’s pronounced in two syllables: ‘Joyce’ ‘Llyn’. My experience is that many people hear me introduce my name and stop me part way because they think they know what it is: ‘Joyce’. No! ‘Jocelyn’ (pronounced, ‘Jo’ ‘Sir’ ‘Lin’. That’s not my name!
It’s not often we get a survey sent to Mother Who Work Towers that make me chuckle. In this case, my fit of giggles was in the knowing that some of the results must be true!
The years of working in the media and cringing whenever someone asks what my weekend was like, and the truth is that is was filled with child or baby-related activities I knew would bore most people to hear about, but was a special moment for me and my hubby.
Every other news story this past month seems to be about the inappropriate behaviour of men in sectors from film (aka the alleged Harvey Weinstein) to politics. Industry big wigs seem to have, for years, got away with treating women any way they wish.
Some critics have blamed women for dressing inappropriately, not standing up for themselves and even for putting themselves in a vulnerable situation themselves.
