The Balancing Act

WORDS:: CHYKA KEEBAUGH

In the lead up to Mother’s Day, I have been thinking about something that I am sure every mother has thought about at some point in her parenting life…

It’s that crazy idea that our lives only work if we can master the balancing act. I am often asked about how I have been able to juggle my family with my business, and my straightforward and honest answer is - I haven’t! There have been times where I have missed out, where my kids have missed out, where my family has come second to work. There are also plenty more times that my family have come first, that I have been able to share amazing adventures with my family and made such happy memories that that one day they missed out on something fades off into the distance. I don’t believe everything can be balanced, sure - maybe you have a day here and there that everything falls into place but regularly? Nah, not possible.

Being a working mother came hand in hand with a lot of guilt. My kids were young; they grew up with our business, they watched us grow the business from humble beginnings to what it is today.  Now I can proudly say my kids have grown up to be resilient; they have a great worth ethic as they understand the commitment needed to succeed. No one ever teaches you how to be a mum. You’re thrown into the deep end from the get-go, and everyone's mothering efforts and techniques are not the same, so stop comparing yourself to other mums - working or stay at home, we are all trying the best we can, trying to captain the ship and keep it afloat! 

So this Mother’s Day why don’t we all just take a good half an hour to sit down and relax, high five ourselves for the fantastic JOBS we are all doing and give the idea of being the perfect mum. It’s not a thing.

TO CONTINUE THE CONVERSATION...LISTEN TO THE DESIGN FILES PODCAST

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Credits : Feature Image by Lisa Atkinson, family images are taken from Chyka Keebaugh Instagram Page, Podcast imagery from The Design Files.