Nothing quite prepares you for the madness, exhaustion, multitasking skills required for when you have 2 babies, especially when they are only 2 years apart! Throw in a business to run and this baby poop just got real!
I dreamed of this, it's what I hoped for. I wanted to do was work for myself, run my own successful marketing, PR and event management business, as well as writing for various publications, (including number 1 goal Huffpost). I dared to dream of a beautiful baby, maybe even 2, especially after years of trying and many disappointments.
Now, here I am writing this in the middle of the night whilst feeding my very cute 2 month old Emilia Beatrice and listening to my 2 year old boy Henry Jorge snoring next door. My 2 little slices of heaven, actually mine, actually here, and I couldn't be happier!
It's mad though, not much sleep going on, crazy multi-tasking skills required to make sure the kids are happy and healthy, fed and watered and well frankly, alive. Working to deadlines and having meetings, no matter how flexible and understanding your lovely clients are, and how great your babies are at coming along to meetings. But they give you the drive to work harder and push through the madness for them, it’s quite bonkers. Having kids is the most in love you'll ever be, the most fun you'll ever have and the hardest you will ever work, fact.
Moonface HQ is at home, so Im lucky and I don't work 9-5, I work hours that suit me and the kids, and also of course my clients. They are happy as long as I deliver results. It works better for us all, (check out my last blog about working from anywhere). Allot of us ladies and gents have to go back to work after babies, some choose to go back to work, some dont have a choice. Either is fine, as is being a stay at home mum, or dad for that matter. We should never judge others, it's not our business. We're all in this together and we're all muddling through, so big up yourselves, you're doing great, whatever your situ.
The madness of my situ has not escaped me though and I find myself thankful for having been a little bit (allot) bonkers BK (before kids). All these years of working in my industry has given me invaluable training for being a mum. Working to ridiculous deadlines for marketing and PR campaigns, working with clients delivering their creative vision, and of course being an event manager for over 20 years. If this is not good preparation for the madness of motherhood, I don't know what is. It’s a job like no other, and similar to being a Mum, it is the best fun and the most challenging of experiences at the same time.
You wouldn't for example, have to put up with any of the following in a 'normal' job would you.
•The DJ playing 'leave your hat on' leading to delegates getting naked on mass
•Irrational requests like being asked to move a tree that's blocking the view from a bedroom window
•Losing your speaker after he got a bit tired and emotional the night before and finding him pants round his ankles on his bathroom floor
•Moving hundreds of people around the globe with a ridiculous amount of equipment
•Working 24 hours, sleep is not an option
•Keeping everyone to budget is a military operation
•Fine dining disasters with exploding tomatoes and spilling stuff on VIPs
So you can see the similarities to looking after children already can’t you. Because with babies this is what happens (sound familiar?):
•You can't stop them getting naked and crying when they're tired and emotional
•Totally Irrational requests are the norm
•If they go missing its trouble and you nearly always find them in the bathroom
•Never leaving home with less stuff than you would need if you got stranded up a mountain
•Sleep or lack of it, let's not go there
•Money? What money?
•Feeding and watering is a messy job, you'll need a hoover and a hose
It's the most fun I've ever had, the most in love I've ever been and the most knackered I'm sure I will ever be, but it's worth every second!!
Emma is director /owner of Moonface Marketing www.moonfacemarketing.com, a business coach and a blogger. She has 2 little children (a 2 year old and a 2 month old), that make her beam ear to ear with pride!
A massive thank you to all fellow Delegate Wranglers for contrubuting to this blog.