Owning your own business whilst also trying to run a family

Trying to find the balance between  running   your own business whilst also looking  after our 3 very active boys can be tiring but also very rewarding.   We have always placed a very high priority on family, We have never had any support,  as our family live far away, so it was always up to us to make sure we were there for the kids. Prior to starting The Printing Company I was a stay at home mum. I loved it, but then there came  a time when I felt I needed more, my last son was at school, my husband was tired of the partnership he was in. So we decided to start The Printing Company.

With Both of us working in the business it can be quite a juggle, as we always try to have one of us there for the kids. That is the beauty of owning your own business you can be flexible and work your hours around your family ( most of the time). Although don’t get the wrong idea working for yourself can also be extremely demanding and   stressful, as there are long hours and lots of worry about making sure you have enough business coming in to pay the bills, holidays become a thing of the past until you are up and running enough to hire staff.

As I mentioned we have 3 boys 17, 15 and 10.  Even at 17 they still need you and like you being around(although they would never admit it). It’s quite odd but sometimes I feel they need you to be home more as they get older instead of less.  I just had to go to the Doctor this morning with my 17 year old. Thinking that he may now be old enough to go on his own he actually wanted me to come with him.  I guess they grow up so quickly as long as they want you to do stuff with them and for them you just keep doing it. My husband has been lucky enough to be able to coach 3 of our boys and spend lots of quality time with them, something that Woking in the corporate world doesn’t afford to many.

Don’t get me wrong we are still trying to find the right work life balance but I think we are on the right track.

Kids back at School

With all our kids now back at school,  I think time for most mums is contradiction  between elated and also a little sad. 

Elation as you now can stop having to think up ideas of what to do each day  and stop the daily fights between siblings. 

Sadness as the start of the new year means your children grow up just that little bit more. 

For me this is going to be a very big year as we have our eldest doing his HSC , one chapter of many  is closing.  It really makes you realise how quickly time goes by.  It only seems like yesterday I was cradling him as a newborn.

Teenage years are very turbulent times not only for the teenager but also for the parent. Whilst they are rapidly approaching adulthood. We as  parents still have a very important role to play and that is to make sure they grow into responsible  caring adults.  

Teenagers  very rarely understand that boundaries still need  to be set  and household rules still apply to them and that  you are doing this for their own good.  The Truth  is that all kids and teenagers included need  boundaries and rules. I am speaking from experience as a Mum of a 17 & 15 year old teenage boys, we are going through this at the moment and whilst it is so easy to give in when they promise they will get a job or help around the house for the 100^th time if you don’t make them pay for their mobile phones and Gym memberships but at some point you have to say “pay for it yourself”.  

Breaks my heart but in the end I know they will be better people for me saying “NO!”