On Being a Mom and Being Present

Happy Mother’s Day to all you wonderful moms out there!

This Mother’s Day – more than most – I have been thinking about my role as a mom and how to best achieve balance in my life – balance of work, family, friendships, and personal interests. And I’ve come to the conclusion that balance really isn’t about dividing my focus between all these important aspects of my life – it’s really about being 100% present wherever I am and not wishing I were somewhere else. I’ll be the first to admit I’m not always completely successful in this but I do think it’s a worthy goal.

I recently took my daughter Sam to see Dear Evan Hansen and one of the songs really resonated with me “You Will Be Found” As a Mother of 4 and the President of Chaos for Marketers on Demand and Executive Talent on Demand as well as being a Doula , I constantly try to “be found”. I’m a type A personality, and I am always striving to be the best, perfect, and “to be found, and to be seen”.   We get caught up in all that encompasses our lives…our phones, our computers, all things social. I think for me being found is being present.

So what can busy moms like us do to stay present? Here are a few tips that I’ve found helpful in my own life.

  1. Let go of the guilt.

It seems like moms today are held to impossibly high standards. Every day we are bombarded by photos of Michelin Star-worthy home cooked meals and moms who do “baby yoga” on Instagram. And yes, I want my kids to eat healthy and I want to model a healthy lifestyle. But if I have to make a run through the drive-thru on occasion to maintain sanity, I’m not going to stress about it. And neither should you!

  1. Use time saving hacks.

The less time you can spend on the mundane, the more time you’ll have for both career and family. And in a world where you can have your groceries delivered from a tap of your smartphone or access easy make-ahead meals from the Internet, why wouldn’t you make use of as many time saving hacks as you can?

  1. Enjoy quality time and meaningful activities with your family.

Spending time with my family is my favourite thing about being a mom, and going to see Dear Evan Hanson with my daughter is a memory that I will cherish forever. Take the time to plan special moments with your kids, whether it’s seeing a musical, going on a nature walk, or playing a board game that they enjoy.  Spending quality time with your kids in my opinion is one of the best ways to get to know the wonderful human beings that are developing into.

I hope that you all take the time this Mother’s Day to be present, for your family but most of all for you. Happy Mother’s Day!”