Working moms - RecruitMyMom.co.za
Transcription
Working moms - RecruitMyMom.co.za
FAMILY MATTERS Working moms making it ‘I’ve learnt to simplify my life’ Claire Minnaar, 34, develops and owns various online businesses. She also runs Momtrepreneur.co.za, a platform where other working moms can share business info and ideas. She lives in Hermanus with husband Ryan, 37, and sons Ethan, 4, and Jake, 1. , work The biggest challenge as a working mom is getting over working-mom guilt, and feeling I should be spending more time with my kids. But I work so that I can provide them with the life I’ve always wanted them to have. Some moms feel more guilt than others – but it’s just the way our brains remind us that we’re moms. It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by it all. But taking a break and spending a few minutes with giggling kids can eradicate that anxiety in seconds! I work from home, so when I need a break, I pop down the passage to give hugs and kisses – which makes the guilt much easier to overcome! Motherhood is a full-time job. But who says moms can’t balance motherhood and successful careers too? These moms have made it work. And so can you! ‘It’s normal to feel overwhelmed by it all’ ‘The world needs bright, intelligent, sassy women in the workplace’ , My mother was a stay-at-home mom. She devoted her entire young-adult life to us and we had a beautiful childhood. But my children are having a different childhood – not better, not worse – just different. I’m so often asked, ‘How do you do it? How do you find the balance?’ There’s a common misperception that a woman can’t have it all by working AND being a mom. Many people feel that you have to choose and make the sacrifice. But it’s possible to have it both ways and strike a balance. Being a journalist is a huge part of who I am – and so is being a mom. We have a catch phrase in our house – ‘I’m missing news’, which is also the title of my book. Alexandros, my eldest, couldn’t say ‘Eye Witness News’, and every time a news bulletin would come on, he would say ‘I’m missing news!’ And it stuck, because it just echoes the challenge found in being a working mom. When I’m at home, I feel like I’m missing news on the work front. Katy with her When I’m at work, sons Pano and I’m missing news on Alexandros. the home front! My book is about what happens when those worlds collide. News is a 24-hour business – it never stops happening, and the news cycle never ends. And children are a 24-hour job too. Because they’re both full-time, there will be times where they have to merge, and I’ll have to tell the kids to carry on building with their lego blocks while I handle a call or a work crisis. My kids are wellgrounded children. I don’t think they’ve ever felt there’s something missing. The time we spend together is quality time. We play, we dance, we play hide and seek, and we paint. Whether you’re a stay-at-home mom or a working mom, your time with your kids is precious. With the cost of living on the up, singleincome households are rare these days. When both parents can work, they do. And women have so much to offer the work force. ‘We don’t have to give up one in exchange for the other’ 38 Claire with Jake and Ethan. I work - Ethan is starting to understand the value of money, which makes him understand why I do what I do and that makes me feel a whole lot better. I treasure the time I have with my kids. I also try to take time out for myself! I’ve learnt to simplify my life, say “No”, ask for help and be gentle on myself – we are so often our own worst enemy! , ‘It helps to be flexible’ For my kids, having two working parents is normal. Granny picks them up from school. At 12:15pm every day, I phone Pano for a quick chat, and I’ll do the same with Alexandros at 2:30pm. It’s important that the kids know that, even though I didn’t pick them up from school, I still know what’s happening in their lives. There are those exasperating moments, when I’ll beg them to put their shoes on, or to eat their vegetables, and things seem overwhelming. But that happens to all moms. At the moment I’m just trying to get Alexandros to draw within the lines! I’ve worked hard at a career and a successful one at that. And, if I can maintain my career AND be around these precious boys of mine, I’ve made it work. It’s important that us moms keep at it. The world needs bright, intelligent, sassy women in the workplace. And we don’t have to give up one in exchange for the other. , Phillipa Geard (41) is the founder of RecruitMyMom.co.za, an online network for skilled moms. She lives in Parelvallei, Somerset West with her husband Anthony, 40, and children Dominic, 9, and Sadie, 7. , Before I started a family, I worked in a large multinational corporate for over seven years. When Dominic was born I just knew I couldn’t work the hours that a corporate career demands, while still being FEATURE: TARYN ARNOTT. PHOTOS: NICOLE MCCABE, SUPPLIED. Katy Katapodis, 38, is editor-in-chief at Eye Witness News. Her book, I’m Missing News, deals with the work/momhood balance. She lives with her husband, Kosta Kosmos, 37, and sons Alexandros, 7, and Pano, 3, in Bedfordview. The key to balancing work and motherhood is setting rules. From 8am to 5pm during the week, I work. After that, it’s family time. I don’t work on the weekends, unless the kids are out or sleeping. But I must admit these rules are broken very often. I’m so excited by my work, and just have to remind myself of the rules regularly, and get on with what I’ve committed to. But I’ve found my rhythm now, and practice makes perfect. The idea for Momtrepreneur came from one of those moments of overwhelming mother’s guilt mixed with struggling to cope with the balance. I wondered if there were any other moms out there who felt like I did. And so I built a website to reach out to moms who might have a similar story. Sharing our stories reminds us that we are doing the best we can. And I’ve met some phenomenal women in the same boat in doing so! I’m teaching my kids to understand why Phillipa with Dominic and Sadie as involved in his life as I wanted to be. I started consulting independently, which gave me the flexibility I needed to be with my children. Years later, I found myself managing and building an online network that helps other skilled moms to find flexible, part-time or project work that suits their skills – just the REAL WOMEN LIKE YOU flexibility I need to be a mom and a business owner. Working from home means I don’t feel torn between work and spending time with my children. I love being able to spend time with them, even if it’s while helping them with homework! Sometimes I feel like there aren’t enough hours in a day. The hours when my children are at school fly past, and the hours I spend working at night disappear. When my inbox has hundreds of unread emails in it, or the rest of my family are on holiday and I’m still working, it can feel tough. But it helps having an incredibly supportive husband, who steps in when I need it. Moms often thank me for seeing the value they have in the workplace and helping them find work. Once, after I explained to Sadie why I’d been working so hard, she said, ‘That’s okay, Mom. Those other moms need you to help them find work – so we don’t mind!’ For any working mom, finding the right kind of working environment is the key to balancing being a hands-on mom and balancing life outside of being a mom. ‘Finding the right kind of working environment is key’ way I did. RecruitMyMom.co.za is an online network where moms offer their skills to employers on a flexible basis. Some moms really love working and having a full-time career. Others live with guilt because they don’t spend enough time with their kids – and they’re the moms that RecruitMyMom helps. The site has grown much faster than I ever expected. But, just like parenthood, you have to get on with it and do your best. Running the website gives me the , 39