When you look closely at my life you’ll see that almost everything is peacefully on the edge of chaos.
I started my real estate career within months of having my son and have been the ringleader of the Broussard circus ever since. I feel a more apt analogy is that my husband is the ringleader and myself the tightrope walker. In general, real estate has opposite hours as the average working moms + dads because people want to see homes on their lunch breaks, after work, and on weekends. I imagine parents with night shift jobs or in the service and entertainment industry understand the challenges that come with having working hours outside of 9-5. It is a delicate balance walking the fine line of trying to have it all as a working mom no matter what hours of the day you’re working.
Being CEO and janitor, which is required of every small business owner, is much harder to juggle with a toddler. Many days it means taking calls and answering emails with him bouncing on my hip (why are children programmed to cry while we are on the phone?). I don’t write this as a pity party post, but rather a solidarity post. Momma’s who are trying to “have it all” while “doing it all”, I see you. I am you.
We are each other.
Help is vital, critical, and essential so we don’t lose the relationships we have with our kids and spouse as well as keeping our businesses going. I had grand plans for getting help from babysitters as my business has grown over the past year, but COVID has made me pause to evaluate that choice more than once. After busting at the seams with work (thankfully!) while trying to give my all to my son, I decided we needed professional help and I’m talking more than what my nightly glass of wine can offer. We hired a sitter to help twice a week in the afternoons, and this newfound help has given me the confidence to actually think we can have more kids while I grow my business. Some family and friends have had backlash over this choice because of their own personal fears about COVID. It’s frustrating to hear and feel because it feels like a lack of trust in my choices as a parent to do what’s best for my family and like their “concerns” are more of a contribution to the problem rather than helping us find a solution.
I guess even the grandest of theaters had a peanut gallery.
Maybe you’re reading this and don’t feel like you can relate because you have all the love from your village and how they support you, which is amazing and deserves to be cherished! Be blessed in how you make your life happen best for your family. Although, I have a feeling that some feel the isolation from the fear that COVID has caused in distancing all of us and therefore isolating moms for tasks that were never meant to be done alone. I’ve been to the place where the only word to describe my world was overwhelming, and I just want you to know that there is hope for more. It all starts with a little help and the confidence to silence those who doubt, question, or distract. Even in the midst of COVID, we can have it all.
