In 2009 I made the decision to not go back to work. It was the hardest and easiest decision I had ever made.
I was on maternity leave and I was also pregnant. I didn’t plan it that way. But I knew going back to work wasn’t something I wanted to do. I didn’t want to miss a thing. I wanted to do the school runs. I wanted to emulate my mum, who was always there yet always worked, sometimes by doing two or three jobs at once.
I loved my job, so it was hard to leave - but yet I knew I couldn’t leave my babies for 9+ hours a day. Plus, I breed insomniacs, so working while getting zero sleep wouldn’t compute. So we took the hit, sacrificed everything and looked for every way to save money, including reusable nappies.
It wasn’t easy. Not having money to buy stuff didn’t bother me - it’s amazing how much you realise you spend on stuff you don’t need. Not having money to have treats and holidays was hard. I love holidays and travel. So that was hard. But the hardest part? It was the not working. Up until that point, I had had a job since being 13. I worked through college, university and straight from university. This was the first time I had never not worked.
And it was about that time during the nights of trying to get a baby and toddler to sleep, all night, every night, that idea of starting a business was born. I needed something to keep me sane. Starting a business with a nine week and a toddler sounds like madness - but it got me through.
I was so inspired by what I was working on. But I was also so inspired to build my own path. To allow me to be there for my children through school, have something for me and to do good at the same time. And I did just that.
In November, Baba+Boo will be ten years old. I’m immensely proud of getting us to ten.
This week, my Baba, my son, left primary school. It’s been emotional. Like really, really emotional. I’ve not stopped crying. I used to cry when my children went up a vest size but this end of milestone is a whole other level.
And apart from a handful of times, I did every school run. I was there to see him run into school and play with his friends, and pick him up as he ran out of school telling me all about his day. It’s been an honour and a privilege. It’s what has kept me going when I found it hard to keep juggling running a business and a family. I will forever be grateful for getting to hold little hands on the way to school every day.
It’s been magic.