母親：工作與生活的平衡
2024 年 4 月 26 日
您如何平衡母親身份與工作以及我們生活中的所有其他責任？對許多媽媽來說，這個問題一直縈繞心頭，並導致多年來媽媽的內疚和時間扭曲。我們向來自世界各地的 #realmoms 部落詢問如何以及是否可以實現這種平衡，這就是他們不得不說的話。
Aisha: Parenting on the Road
When my son was first born I was working a demanding corporate job. I traveled a lot. It could have been overwhelming, but I decided that I didn’t want to miss those important first months and years in both of our lives, so I took him almost everywhere I traveled to for the first two years. I planned ahead and got childcare for all of my trips. I could still have my career and spend time with my baby. When he started going to school, I was intentional about spending the evenings and weekends with my husband and him and being present in those moments. Our family time is precious.
謝爾比：重構工作
身為一名在海星計畫工作的媽媽，我為自己和家人重新規劃了我的工作。這不是媽媽必須做的事情，而是媽媽選擇要做的事。我熱愛我的工作！我喜歡參與每一天的生活轉變！當然，有些日子比其他日子更忙，而且這種雜耍是真實的，但在與我的孩子們分享我對工作的熱情時，我希望有一天能激勵他們去做一份他們喜歡的工作。我與我的兒子們（7 歲和 10 歲）分享與年齡相稱的勝利和掙扎，有時請他們在我遇到一些可能難以承受的事情時為我祈禱。現在，我的孩子們在學校面臨艱鉅的任務時也會這樣做。這種重新建構的工作+家庭觀讓人感覺更加有機——它以一種賦予生命和吸引人的方式起伏，而不是將兩者分開。我非常感謝我出色的丈夫，他是撫養我們兒子的好夥伴，也是海星計畫的大力支持者。沒有他我無法做到這一點！
LuLu: It Takes a Village
Keeping my daughter with me without the company's support would be impossible. (Many of us from Western countries may very quickly miss this comment. You see, here in East Asia it has become very common, normal really, for parents to leave their children in the village with grandparents to raise as the parents go into larger cities to work. Yet, Lulu made the brave and difficult decision to bring her daughter with her to a new city as she began a new life yet again.) Preschool is very expensive in the headquarters city. But the company helped me (and other moms) by creating a partnership with a preschool. The only challenge was that the children are released from school at 4:30 pm and had a half-day on Fridays. When I communicated these difficulties, my leader allowed me to leave work at 4:30 and work from home. The company even created a program for our children on Fridays. The woman who takes care of our children has such a kind heart and has helped teach my daughter a lot of life skills. She makes handmade noodles and dumplings with my daughter because she knows they are her favorite. One of the most impactful memories is when our Starfish Project Founder and CEO, Jenny, offered to keep my daughter sometimes on the weekends so I could have a break. This support has allowed me to work peacefully and better myself in my job and as a mom.
Mirjam: The Juggling Act
I always (jokingly) said I'm a full-time worker and a part-time mum because balancing work and motherhood is just so hard. But I've learned that balance means something different at various stages of our life as a mother, and also children need you differently in different stages of their lives. I vividly remember times when I felt I wasn't there for my children when they needed me (and the mother guilt that comes with it), but I know when I ask them, they tell me they know they can always count on me and they didn't miss anything when they were younger. I remember when my youngest was hosting a panel discussion as a 17-year-old student interviewing professionals from the business community and as an introduction to his first question about who was a person that inspired them, he told them his mother inspired him. He didn't know I was in the audience because I told him I couldn't be there (but I managed to go and gave myself a nice pat on the shoulder when I heard him speaking about why I inspired him.)
No matter where you are in the world, the juggle and struggle is real, yet moms are out there loving their kids and changing the world– that is something to celebrate! Delight the inspirational women around you this Mother’s Day with gifts that celebrate her unique mom style. She is sure to love the impact Starfish Project gifts make on the lives of survivors and their children, too! You know her best—choose the perfect personalized gift to celebrate ALL she does this Mother’s Day.