Being a mother is surely a tough job! From managing the kids to managing the house, motherhood can be quite a handful. To top this, if you are a working mother, you simply have no time to spare and are constantly juggling between being a mother and a working woman.
With International Mother’s Day just around the corner, we talked to some women who are a mother and an entrepreneur aka mompreneurs, and how they are balancing their work and personal life amidst a pandemic.
1. Sharmilee Kapur, A Pranic Healer and Co-founder of Atmantan Wellness Centre.
“All the world's a stage, and all the men and women merely players… and one man in his time plays many parts, His acts being seven ages”
As a working mom in quarantine, the stage was my home, and the 7 acts I played ranged from being a chef, a house manager, an accountant, a businesswoman, a vigilant mom, a loving mom and not to forget, sometime in the day remembering to be a friend to myself! It really becomes all about time management as the physical spaces of work, and mommyhood merge. While the child’s hug and kiss are the pat on the back that makes it all worthwhile, the day becomes all about learning to switch between roles and temperaments. Yes, working as a mom didn’t seem all that bad this quarantine… I sometimes felt like a mommy kangaroo who could hop around the house with her joey in her pouch.
2. Dr Rashmi Shetty, Celebrity Dermatologist, Founder & Creator of Sol Skin Corp
“The first quarantine came as a shocker and no one was prepared to be living life sitting at home. Likewise, I too thought that this would get over in 15 days or maximum within a month but after a few days, I realised I had a lot of free time in hand.
Due to my work, I could not get the desired time to spend with my daughter so once the lockdown began in 2020 last year, the first few days went in confusion but later we planned our days where we cooked together, worked out together, ate meals together, spent a lot of quality time together which resulted in launching our new line of supplements SOL SKIN CORP. The experience of strategising and innovating was so enriching as in daily routine life, one does not get so much time to sit back, reflect and think for innovation and new ideas".
3. Deepshikha Deshmukh, Founder of Love Organically
"It's been a tough and challenging year for all of us. The lines are blurred at home with everything happening from the same space. During the pandemic, balancing home and work is strenuous, to say the least, and gets quite tricky. With work and school literally happening in the same space, there are no boundaries for either.
Only time will truly tell us the kind of impact this has on them. However, what is essential is to keep everybody at home positive and happy. One needs to stay positive and keep their family the same. At the same time, there is a need to balance work. And most importantly to tell yourself that it's alright to feel down once in a while. It's important to talk and share. Remember we are all in this together."
4. Megha Asher, Co-Founder and COO of Juicy Chemistry
“Being a working mom is not easy and the quarantine life certainly does not help. The line between work and life blurs quite frequently and there are times when keeping up with all the work and juggling being a mom just seems impossible!
Some days are hard and some days aren’t but here’s what has helped me a lot - make schedules and be organised. I organise my tasks and try to wrap them up in the early hours of the day. I also try to be completely focused so I can wholeheartedly spend quality time with my daughter without having to worry about any pending tasks and work. It’s also important to allow yourself to have a low day. These times are extraordinary and nobody is perfect!
5. Aditi Handa, Co-Founder and Head Baker at The Baker’s Dozen
“I don't think anyone had it easy during the lockdown with the multitude of responsibilities one had to manage. However, I feel children adapted to it with the most grace and joy. My sons are my biggest inspiration during this time. They were 3 years old when the 1st lockdown was announced and they rose to the challenge and became extremely independent whether it was self-feeding, adapting to school being on zoom, helping out with household chores or just playing by themselves whilst I worked. They haven’t gotten out of the house for over a year or met a friend, yet they seem to be extremely happy with their surroundings. Every time this new normal gets to me, I look at them for inspiration”.