Last month my friend Kerry, who owns Cruise Holidays in Bedford, met me at Chapters for a business meeting. While our little gals played with Tomas the Train, she presented me with the itinerary for my upcoming yoga tour in Tuscany. The kids were happy to be there, playing alongside mommy, and minus the cramped quarters in the tea cup, we were able to conduct a very productive meeting.
Although it’s been a hectic past few years, we have managed to both run a thriving business and rear very well adjusted children…so far. I’ll admit to being biased toward attachment parenting, as my girls spent the first year of their life either on the breast or in the carrier. This turned out to be fairly convenient, as we know that when you work for yourself, time off is not always an option. I remember writing a newspaper column three days after giving birth, and nursing between sentences!
Being Italian, my husband is used to having kids running around in the background of business life, because for many Italians, life is business. By setting clear boundaries for moments when we’re on a business call, or at the computer, our children’s lives have become harmoniously interwoven with our passion for our work.
What’s more, we intentionally involve our children (to some degree) in our work, by bringing them by our classes. It is our hope that our children will be inspired to see mom and dad in action as teachers and their presence inevitably uplifts the group.
Today’s society has created such sterile work environments with no tolerance for the sounds or messiness of child’s play, when in some cases that’s exactly what’s needed.
But we seem to be making some progress, as I’m sure you heard about the woman who brought her baby into the House of Commons a few weeks ago. They’ve now made it permissible to have infants in the House, so long as they aren’t distracting.
Just this week I was discussing a contract with the Department of Ed. in NFLD, when my daughter yelled out “Can somebody wipe my bum?” I laughed unapologetically, explaining that we largely work from home.
As entrepreneurial moms, instead of feeling shame when our mothering responsibilities spill into our work, we can celebrate our multi tasking abilities and the many gifts in our lives.
Founder of the National Award Winning Breathing Space Yoga Studio (http://breathingspaceyogastudio.ca), Jenny Kierstead of Halifax, NS is a visionary in the yoga movement and an advocate for healing and wellness. A columnist, public speaker and published author, Jenny has studied in India and around the world with the leading authorities in yoga, yoga therapy and Ayurveda, including the legendary Shri K. Pattabhi Jois and Deepak Chopra. Jenny is currently writing a book about her spiritual awakening and lives with her husband Blair, a leading therapist, and their two spirited daughters, Sophia and Isabella.