Mum life – Too busy for your kids?

self employed mama

Lizz Akin, the founder of ‘Mums 30 Day Business’ has created a new video campaign to promote the second edition of her book – ”For Busy Mums: How to Launch A Successful Business’ And a great book it is – helping you get your own business off the ground, step by step over 30 days. It is aimed at busy Mamas and includes tips on how to be a business women and a mum by spending a manageable amount of time each day on building up your business. Lizz wrote the book to help other Mothers transition from working full-time to running their own business, allowing them to free up more of their time to spend with their families.

The video campaign centres around the argument of it being better for children to have their mum at home and not working full-time. I’ve been lucky to always be at home with my four. When I first became a Mama, I wasn’t working, so we made the decision to continue as we were and manage on one salary. For us that has worked, and obviously we have made some sacrifices {no shiny new car, or lots of holidays} but personally I’m fine with that – it’s important to me that I’m at home with the children, there when they need me and there for all of their major milestones. I know of parents who have missed out on first steps as they have had to work. I understand that some mothers have to work, to keep paying the mortgage or other financial obligations. I also know that some Mothers want to work. Does that make them terrible? Hell no…

In the past few years I’ve slowly built up my own business, one that means I am home with the children AND contributing an income to the family. Of course, this isn’t easy, trying to balance so many roles and right now with a newborn it’s really tricky, but I can’t imagine having to go out to work and leave the baby with someone else. I’ve had comments that ‘Oh, you must get bored at home all day’ – bored, with four children and a business is not an option ;) Before I had a business, I did enjoy being home with the kids. But I’ll be honest, it is nice having something that is me… a role that I’m not just so-and-so’s mum, I’m actually Polly – a woman and a person all of my own. Now if only my office wasn’t in the hub of our house, then I could escape for some peace once in a while!

I do believe that Mum’s should be able to stay home if they want to, I think that it makes a huge difference to children to have their Mum around, to have the security of knowing she is always there for them. Having said that, I also think that it should be a personal choice. Regardless of finances, for some women, they want to go out to work, maybe NEED to. Staying home with little children is actaully really hard, and there are days I wish to have an office to escape to – to find a little bit of my sanity ;) I think that there is enough Mum guilt going around without anyone feeling bad for not being home with their kiddos. I know my Mum always worked to support me, and while she might not have been there when I got home from school, she was there when it counted and I knew that she was doing it to give us a good life. As I said – I’m lucky to be part of a two-person team, G has always worked incredibly hard so I could stay home with the kids, and we made sacrifices so that we didn’t need my income in those early years.

Frankly I think this video is trying to make Mums feel guilty for not being there 24/7… it seems all too often, women are our own worst enemies. We should be supporting each other, remebering that we all make the deicisons that are best for our families, that just because we think we one thing, doesn’t mean it’s right or that everyone should think the same. That as women, we have the freedom to work, or to stay home, or to work from home… how lucky are we that we can make that choice these days? That we don’t have to stay home full time if we don’t want to.

Do you stay at home with your children? Or if you have to work, would you rather be able to stay at home?

You can find out more and buy the book from Mums 30 Day Business. You can also connect with Lizz on Twitter, Facebook and Youtube

11 Comments

  1. rhiannon

    February 17, 2015 at 10:46

    I’m a stay at home mum with one, and I’d like to stay at home untill all our kids (2 more to come we hope) go to school at least. But we just play it by ear. I think it’s really important to stay at home (if you can of course, there are always circumstances where that just isn’t possible). I’m about to launch my own work-at-home-mum business as I’d love to be able to financially contribute, even if it’s small.

  2. Slummy single mummy

    February 17, 2015 at 11:39

    I really surprised myself when my second daughter was born. I thought I would want to go straight back to work but ended up having two and a half years off work! I’m not sure I would do the same now, but it just shows you have to keep an open mind.

  3. Lauren

    February 17, 2015 at 12:29

    I stay home. For so, so many reasons I could just never see myself working instead of being here.

  4. Alison

    February 17, 2015 at 13:15

    I take my hat off to any mum who can start their own business. I have worked full time for a lot of the time since my daughter was born, and due to various things like PND and – well – just who I am as a person, if I had forced myself to stay at home and look after her, I would have been a TERRIBLE mum and she would have been miserable. It’s such a personal decision to make (and like you say for some, it’s not a decision, it’s just a given that they have to work to make ends meet). me working = happy mum = happy child :)

    1. polly

      February 17, 2015 at 17:00

      After my second was born, I had terrible PND… and I seriously considered going to work… if it hadn’t been the fact we had no childcare and couldn’t ahve afforded to pay for any – with no family nearby to help out, I would have. I’m def a better mum now I work, albeit from home. Whatever makes a happy mum makes for the happiest kids I think

  5. Rachel

    February 17, 2015 at 15:38

    I think it’s great that there is choice for mums & support for those mums who can/want to run their own business although I’m not necessarily happy about a business that is centered around the premise of “being better for children to have their mum at home and not working full-time” (better for who?, why Mum, can you really test this etc?)

    Personally, I think it’s sad to assume that people have to work. Whilst we could probably just about manage financially without me earning (we did when I was on mat leave) I love working. I don’t think I’ve ever missed out on any milestones, I still see my daughter plenty, and I also am happy and fulfilled by my work.

    1. polly

      February 17, 2015 at 16:53

      I think you’re right Rachel. Choice is the key… we should be able to stay home if we want, and equally we should be able to work if we want. It has to work for everyone, not just the kids…. a happy mum equals happy kids. Personally, I know I’d rather be home – but that doesn’t work for everyone, and I certainly don’t think it makes me a better mum for it x

  6. Adele @ Circus Queen

    February 17, 2015 at 23:09

    I always assumed I would stay home with my children. My mother made HUGE sacrifices to stay home as long as she could with us (in a country without any real maternity leave) but always said she wished she could have stayed home longer. I believe that she’d even have home educated us if it had been possible. So, I think that always affected my thoughts on it a bit. It’s not been easy for Laurence and I to make it work but both of us feel it’s really important for me to be around – for the kids’ sake and my own. That said, I am so thankful that the internet is making it possible to run businesses from home. I think I would really struggle if I had nothing of my own going on. I like working and I am grateful to be able to fit it around my children.

  7. Lori

    February 18, 2015 at 08:06

    It’s such a tricky one I know people where the mum stays at home and it’s great, where the dad is home instead and that’s worked well. I know mums who have suffered for depression where it has been more damaging for the child to be at home with the parent. I think whatever works best for that particular family is what we should focus on. It’s great that you get to stay home with your lovely family x

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  9. Ruby

    November 14, 2015 at 19:43

    what a shame, I was really interested in learning more and geting the programme but watching the video at the end really put me off, its like blackmail and its sad to make mums feel guilty about going to work, in some cases they have no choice. I am lucky in the way I have been self employed for years, I home schooled 2 of the boys and have a wonderful partner but not everyone is like me. I agree with you Polly we should be supporting each other, being a woman is hard enough, being a mum is difficult too x

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