Wonder Women

Am I Wonder Woman? I do have the outfit in the loft (my 30th birthday party costume), although I don’t tend to wear it on a daily basis and I don’t have super powers as such but at times I really feel like I am.  Juggling a part-time office manager role, virtual PA work, once a month kids menu review for a website, this blog (less frequently than I would like) and of course I am still desperately trying to be a good mother to my 3 year old, who is only at nursery 3 days a week and my 5 year old son, who has just started school.  There is also a husband that I try at times to be a good wife to.  It all gets a bit overwhelming at times, I live in a state of constant tiredness and I rarely know what day it is but at the same time I really wouldn’t have it any other way. I love being busy and I need to be able to engage my brain, that is very important to me.

I am not alone, there are more of us than you can imagine and I’m really just discovering this.  I love the idea of supporting these wonder women and their endeavours.  I was inspired by meeting a woman who employs several part-time mums.  These mums are intelligent, creative women who couldn’t go back to their old jobs after maternity leave as their companies wouldn’t let them go back part-time.  These woman are focused and driven.  They are only at work three days a week so when they are there, they put maximum effort in.  However, going to work for someone else is not always feasible.  Not everyone is as lucky as me.  I only recently found my office manager position and it really is flexible, something other roles have promised in the past but didn’t deliver in reality.  Although having a wonderful boss who offers flexible working hours may still not be enough for some mums who are unable to cover the childcare costs.  Escalating childcare costs have encouraged some mothers to set up businesses from home while looking after their children. More and more parents are working from home, part-time and often for themselves. It is a trend that has given rise to the term “mumpreneur” – the stay-at-home mother who keeps one eye on the children and another on her business.  I admire these women so much, woman who are willing to take a risk in life and follow their passion.

My admiration made me want to do something, anything, to help support these woman locally.  There are lots of mummy groups on Facebook where mums share their worries about their babies and get great advice and there’s a real camaraderie at times.  I do have to say though that occasionally there is a certain amount of judgement and it is incredibly easy for people to hide behind a Facebook profile and give an opinion that they perhaps wouldn’t give in person.  I wanted a different group, a group that brings mums together but not because of their children.  I wanted the women that don’t just want to be defined by the fact that they are mums. They want to work, promote their businesses, even if they are not working they want to support others that are and discuss the things that make it hard to be a working mum.  So, with that in mind I set up a group for working mums in my area and I have been amazed at how many mums have joined so far. There was obviously a real need for this kind of supportive group.  I hope to arrange a little networking event next year to encourage even more support because, even Wonder Woman needs a little help sometimes….