This week our feature mother , Rebecca Benson comes from beautiful sunny Brisbane in Australia. Rebecca is a mother of two boys and understands that happiness and health is key and as women and mothers we need to learn to be less hard on ourselves. Rebecca understands that respecting and loving yourself is the ultimate prize as it makes you a better person and mother. You can follow Rebecca and her gorgeous family on IG @mummacino
Thanks Rebecca for sharing your story with us!
1. How many children do have, name and ages?
I have two boys, a spirited nearly 3 year old named Parker and a chilled 8 month old named Spencer.
2. What is you current occupation?
My current job is changing lots of nappies, cleaning up handfuls of food thrown on the floor and doing an insane amount of washing. I’m due to go back to my “other” job in October which is in Change Management for the Government.
3. What are the challenges of balancing work and parenting?
It can definitely be a bit of a struggle. Prior to having my first I often took on more challenging roles at work where I travelled regularly. Returning to work after my first child I worked part time for a period of time which put these more challenging roles out of reach. I also had to often leave work early or stay home with my sick child after he caught lots of bugs at childcare.
It’s hard to always be emotionally present at work because as a mum you have so much going on. I felt guilty for leaving my child at childcare. I felt guilty for having to leave work when my child was sick and I felt guilty that I couldn’t give 100% at home or at work.
Over time I’ve learnt to be less hard on myself. Women have a lot on their plate these days and it’s not sustainable to have perfection in all areas of our lives. Happiness and health wins over money and career progression these days and that’s ok. My babies are only young for a small amount of time.
(So true ! It is perfectly ok not to be perfect! The kids grow up so fast, the days might be long but the years are short!)
4. What is your life philosophy?
This is an interesting question and one I’ve had to reflect on. I don’t have one life philosophy but many mini philosophies. These include having respect for yourself and your worth , make time for self care, invest in things that make you happy and surround yourself with meaningful relationships.
I believe we can grow and learn so much from each other and have been humbled and blessed by being able to travel many parts of the world. I hope to continue on my life journey exploring more of the world with my family in tow.
5. What is a piece of advice you would give other mothers and what is one thing you wish you had known before having children?
I had this vision that breastfeeding would come easily and naturally. For me, this was far from the truth and I suffered mentally and physically. I had so much guilt when I made the decision to switch to formula when my baby was 4 weeks old.
Most mums who I have spoken to have experienced some struggles along the way whether it be nipple trauma,mastitis, latch issue or low supply. I wish I had been more informed about breastfeeding.
I also want other mums to know that regardless of their feeding journey they are doing an amazing job. Bringing a child into this world is one of the most amazing life changing experiences. I recently read this which really resonated with me :
Breast is NOT best, Fed is NOT best, BEST is being informed about normal newborn behaviours and feeding. BEST is knowing when to ask for help BEST is having a support system to help you make informed decisions and to support you on your parenting journey.
(Love this!! Don’t know why we find it so hard to ask for help sometimes!)
6. What is your greatest achievement apart from your children?
For me, I felt really proud when I studied a Masters of Business Administration while I was also working full time. It took a lot of discipline and a few sacrifices but I ended up being able to finish my final two subjects in Denmark. I took advantage of this and added a 5 week holiday on to the end!
(Sounds an amazing way to finish your studies!!)
7. What have you done that you thoughts you could never do?
I’m a very stubborn person so there’s probably not much that I thought I couldn’t do if I put my mind to it. Probably the most life changing thing I did (other than having kids) was moving to the other side of the world to live and work when I was 17. I remember being dropped off at the airport and crying thinking I didn’t want to go. It was however, an amazing 18 months working in Scotland and travelling through Europe.
8. What books do you like reading to your children?
Well my toddler basically dictates what books we read and most of those revolve around cars, trucks or trains. Anything to keep the peace!
My kids used to love books on trucks and trains as well! I hope you will be able to add Three Times The Fun to the kids library as well.
Would love to hear your story