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’
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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
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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
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