Am I doing it for her … or am I doing it for me?

Posted on 11. Nov, 2006 by Elizabeth Potts Weinstein in Blog

Many working moms, in or out of the home, say the are "doing it for their kids." Even with mompreneurs — women claim starting a business is for their kids, to be a role model, earn an income, and, eventually, pass on their business. I make no such claim. I am doing this for me. Yes, I am also a role model for Gracie — an example that a woman can love her work, be passionate about helping others, and achieve financial success. Yes, I also am physically there for Gracie, around most of the time — the "quantity" theory of spending time with your kids — and I consciously spend concentrated "quality" time with her each day. Yes, I am earning an income for the family, and the expansion of my business in upcoming months will bring in even more income and success. But I am doing it for me. I love running my own business — being in charge, able to switch directions in a moment, able to explore the success of any new idea or product, as soon as I make a choice. I love owning my time, able to spend time on my business, or myself, or with my family — completely up to me. I love working with human beings as clients, helping them with real problems that plague their lives, and make their lives significantly better. I love that whatever success I achieve (and whatever failure happens), is totally and completely mine. I also am completely in love with my daughter. I love that she spends more waking hours with me than anyone else. I love her whispy hair, her smiling eyes, the way she runs with her arms wide open when I enter the room. I love when she surprises me by figuring something out the "books say" she should not be able to do for another six months. Or when she suddenly is able to walk down stairs by herself, or call someone by their name. I don’t want to miss any of it. But I also know that if I was there for every second, I would burn out. I would not appreciate it, because my damanding, high-energy toddler would drain every ounce of energy out of me, if I did not have something completely for myself, to recharge my batteries. Yes, being a Mompreneur also benefits my family. But I am doing it for me.

Tags: Having It All