The juggling mom
MOTHERHOOD can be a rewarding yet demanding experience for any woman. The daily routine of a working mother can be compared to a juggling act, since she is required to balance work and family life, all while trying to manage her finances in order to achieve her financial goals.
Recognising the challenges the average Jamaican mother faces, JMMB hosted an event just for mothers dubbed ‘JMMB Juggling Mom’ recently at the Jamaica Pegasus. It gave a small group of mothers an opportunity to change the pace of their hectic schedule and relax in a friendly environment while catering to their unique financial needs.
The two-hour session had the mothers partaking in aromatherapy, yoga, massage or skin consultations. Following this, supermoms Nicole McLaren Campbell and Sara Lawrence, along with JMMB’s Michelle Sinclair Doyley, manager, client financial education, led a lively discussion on the topic of balancing finances, family and life. This discussion made way for the mothers to share from the heart their challenges and gain insight on effective strategies to achieving greater balance in their lives.
Sharing from the perspective of wife and mother, McLaren Campbell, director of Aim Educational Services, made reference to her personal experiences. She highlighted her top five tips for mothers like her, which include:
*Systemise and prioritise. “I try to schedule most of my day and the various activities including family time, exercise, and some me time,” she explained.
* Be your best self for your family and team. McLaren noted that maintaining balance in her life also allows her to give of her best to those that are important to her — family and team.
*A strong support system. “Parenting is about partnership and it is important that as women and mothers a discussion with our partners is needed to ensure that the roles are shared.”
*Make family time sacred. This, she noted, is possible by, “limiting distractions including phone calls and giving children undivided quality time”.
*Learn from other mothers. Admitting that she has a lot to still learn, she credits her parenting style to the wisdom of older mothers, “tweaking the style to fit my unique situation”.
The single mother’s perspective
Dr Lawrence, who spoke from the perspective of a single mother, said single parenting presents its own challenges. She said she has been able to overcome some of these challenges in raising seven-year old Zachary by:
*Planning around the child. “Even though I lead a busy life I attend as many activities as possible and make my presence felt even if I can’t stay for the entire session. My son loves sports, so I am a supporter.”
*Building the mother-child relationship. This is best done by recognising the particular needs of your child and “allowing yourself to go outside of your comfort zone to accommodate the things that are important to your child”.
*Involving the child’s father. She noted that the father’s role should be valued and mothers should seek to do this as much as possible, so that the child can be fully supported.
Both mothers also credit spirituality for getting them through difficult situations.
