Today my daughter’s school sent me a note that said, “your daughter threw dirt on her friend and had no remorse even after we talked about it.” Ouch.
My heart hurt to read this, and I wanted to deal with it immediately; however, I was walking into a particularly important meeting with a CEO who also needed my full attention.
It would have to wait. I put that note into my “mom bucket” and would come back later.
When I had my first baby, he would not take a bottle. I had just come off of three months of bed rest and three months of unpaid maternity leave; I was ready to start working again. I scheduled my calls around his feeding schedule, would run out of my office to a crying baby, and my nanny would put him in my arms to nurse him. I would have 30 minutes of bliss with him, hand him back to my nanny and go back to my office for another phone call. Multiple times per day; every day was like this for an entire year.
This is the daily life of a mompreneur.
Some think we have work/life balance.
We do not.
Work/life balance is a myth. It is prioritization that makes it possible to be a working and entrepreneurial mom. Somedays, our children are sick, and our businesses get less of our focus, or we just give up on sleep AGAIN. Other days we need to focus on our business, and we feel the guilt of not being at an event, missing dinner, or not taking them to school. Our hearts and our heads can feel disjointed.
I have owned my own business for 17 years, and it has been one of the most fulfilling and challenging roles of my life.
Until I had children.
When we build a business of our own, it becomes our baby. We love, nurture, and watch it grow. And we reap the benefits and the growing pains as our own.
The same as children.
What happens when we have both? Where does our focus go? And how do we give the same amount of love & nurturing that our children and our business need?
We do not.
We compartmentalize, and we deal with what is most important right now. Sometimes work takes precedent, sometimes family does, and seldom does our alone time or self-care come first.
I’ve realized as a mompreneur that I need to love what I do. If my work is going to take me away from my kids, then it better be very fulfilling work that fuels me to be a better person and a happier mom.
I could not be as fulfilled from my work if I were working for someone else’s goals & dreams. The fuel that keeps me going is knowing that I am doing this for my children. Not just for their future, but to watch mommy loving her work, being passionate, and genuinely helping others. I also believe that the life lessons of having an entrepreneurial family will last throughout children’s lives.
I work four days/week. Wednesdays are my “mom days.” I need one day to pick up my kids, drop them off at school, put my daughter down for her nap, shop at Target, pick up their rooms, and be mom. I take my business owner hat off and wear my mom hat. I choose to do this because my support network helps on the other four days. And the reason I can do this is because I am my own boss and I decide what’s right for my family and me.
When my kids say, “Mom, are you getting on another call?” my heart breaks a little each time. However, I hope that one day they will know that my mission is to help more parents spend more time with their kids. That they are not traveling and leaving their families, that they can take vacations together and eat dinner together every single night. That is what I do!
Business ownership is a grind; it’s hard, it’s grueling, and it’s so worth it, just like being a parent. Some days I feel like I am on top of the world and juggling it all. Other days I feel like I am failing at everything.
That is life as a mompreneur.
Moms are incredible; they are truly superheroes. They work hard, they are disciplined, they are fearless, and they juggle so many responsibilities every single day. Their minds are always full of work, lists, recipes, school engagements, spreadsheets, and on and on. It is never-ending and perfectly chaotic at the same time. And while we may be disheveled and feel like we are drowning some days, we still do it with a smile and a full heart.
If you are a mom and wanting more…
More balance, more control, more flexibility. I’m here to help you. I live in that world every single day, and I would be honored to help you.
