One of the most difficult aspects of being a working mother is finding a balance between work and life.
It gets even more frustrating when you don’t have a 9-5 job, but a business of your own that you need to monitor 24/7 while at the same time ensuring you are there for your kids whenever you need them (which can be all the time).
So, the question we invariably end up asking is- how do these supermoms do it?
On the occasion of Mother’s Day, Business Insider asked this very secret to three
Here’s what they had to say-
Pranjali Indrayan, Co-founder & Travel Designer,
(Tripoetic is a travel-startup started by Pranjali and her husband where they both take on the responsibility for planning your entire trip. Right from deciding the itinerary to booking your hotels, tickets.)
“I am not sure if this is a difficult path. It is easier than having a job because I can control the work-life balance. On top of it, we are doing something we love to do, which is very fulfilling. It does get challenging at times but then no one ever said that
The decision of starting Tripoetic with my husband was a planned one. It feels great that I can spend time with my 3 year old daughter and have a partner (my husband) who supports me in every way while I help him in running the travel business. We are always around each other, so decision making for Tripoetic and the home is not a problem. And since we are in it together it makes my life as a mother a little easy.
However there are tough times too. When the work pressure is too much, I feel my daughter does not get enough attention. But even when I am working and she walks into the room with her smiling face asking me to play with her, I can never say no. ”
Manisha Chopra, Director and Co-founder, Sea Soul Cosmeceuticals
(
“Makeup has always been my passion. With an engineering background I worked in the IT Sector In Australia for a while but I always knew it at the back of my mind that it wasn't my calling. A series of fortunate events led me to realize that helping women feel and look beautiful gave me immense satisfaction and then there was no going back. So I followed my passion, gathered my knowledge and created SeaSoul. I took at as my social responsibility to share my insights on the harmful effects of chemicals used in existing skin products which led to numerous diseases and decided to go green and created a line of organic, skin friendly products.
I would be kidding if I said it was easy. My two kids and SeaSoul are both a part of me and as a mother; it is in my nature to never neglect neither of my children. As my work involves a ton of travelling so time management is one of my biggest challenges. I counter it by striving to stay connected to Arhan and Myra whenever I am on tours. I have made arrangements to work from home so that I am there for both, the kids and the work, as much as possible.”
Mohita Indrayan, Co-founder and CCO,
(612 League is a Make in India label that focuses primarily on kidswear)
“I chose this path of being a working mom because as an individual my work gives me immense satisfaction and happiness. I personally feel that the contentment I get from my work makes me a happier and willing mom.
Plus, in today’s world you have teach by example and if I want my daughters to grow up to be strong, capable ,independent and happy women I have to first practise that in my own life.
However, that said, managing work and being a mom is a challenging task as both the roles have their own set of demands on time and energy. When my girls were younger the main challenge was to make them understand why their mother wanted to work. Young kids expect their moms to be with them 24*7 and see a lot of such cases around them in their peer group. It took a lot of effort, reasoning and patience to make them understand, ofcourse giving examples of their play school teachers/educators who also stepped out of their homes to teach them helped a lot.
With school going kids the main challenge today is to balance their activities, classes, concerts, matches, PTMs, exam schedules with work obligations. It gets quite demanding and there are occasions where one has to make an unhappy choice. But the key is to remain guilt free and see the larger picture though I agree it’s easier said than done.”
Way to go, ladies!