Being A Mom And A CEO
I started our business because I wanted to be able to provide for my family and still be able to spend time at home with my kids. When my kids were born (we have twins) my husband and I struck a deal. When the kids start school I go back to work. This sounded great when they were newborns and Kindergarten sounded like it was hundreds of years away!
The kids are now in First Grade and nothing prepared me for what life would be like juggling a growing business and a family. I am so happy that my business has grown into a full-time job and that I get to work from home but I struggle with finding a balance between the two. I also struggle a little with my identity as a mother and as a business owner.A few days ago my son told me that his school offers an after school program. He also told me that he didn’t have to go to the after school program because I didn’t have a job and I could pick him up after school. My own child doesn’t think I have a job! I proceed to explain to him that I do work, and that my job is the website etc. etc. He didn’t seem to want to listen to me so finally I said, “I am the CEO of a very successful online business!” he replied by rolling his eyes and saying “Okay Mom, you have a job, I get it.”
Most kids want to play store and they have a register and they stock their “store” with their toys. My kids set up a store with items from my office, they made a box look like a computer and put it at a desk. They had a play phone and one pretended to call the other to “place an order”. There was no register, the one gave the other their credit card number (just a bunch of random numbers) and the other pretended to enter this in the “computer”. After they completed the sale they would run to me and announce that they just got an order. I sat there and the ‘mommy guilt’ set in. I knew that most 3 year olds didn’t play store this way. It was at that point that I started working more when they were asleep.
I guess it’s good that my son doesn’t think I have a job. I changed my work habits to make him believe that I am just his mom, which is all he needs. I am not sure why I feel I need the recognition, maybe because it would help people understand why I say no to some play dates or activities, or why I am always tired.
Image from Stock.xchng.
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