Member Articles

Hey, I can totally relate to your article and it really resonated with me. I am a mother of four children under six and I also run a successful multilingual kids company, and am launching an online Association of Enterprising Women. Outsourcing is the first thing I recommend a mother should to if she wants more time. As mothers we often feel that we must do it all, and if we can't we are somehow failing.

Years ago, in the 1950s for example, women stayed at home with their children and kept house. However, these women had the support of other women, and most importantly of their mothers, aunts, sisters and family (presuming they had some). People rarely travelled to live far from their families, and it was uncommon for women to work, so everyone mucked in to help. Childcare didn't really exist because it wasn't really needed. If a woman needed to work, her family mucked in to care for the child. If she needed time to do the housework or make the dinner, her family and girlfriends helped to care for her kids.

Somehow today we think we have to do it all, in a way that our ancestors didn't. Not only do we have more to do, we also have less time. A recipe for disaster! I think we've also lost sight of what is important: family, relaxation, relationships, memories. We're too busy running around, chasing our tails half the time, that before we know it our kids are grown and the opportunity is gone.

Like you, I will stay up until 1am if necessary, to finish the work that needs done, if it means that I got to spend extra time with my kids. Is it hard? Frequently. But I counter this with making sure I get the time that I need to take care of ME - yoga, pedicures, facials, time with my girlfriends and husband. Success is not only having what you want, it's wanting what you have.