Golden Moms – Part 2

As told earlier on, I’m celebrating moms during this month of May.
I’m not a mother myself, but I truly wanted to get to know their insights. It is personal and different for everyone, but I thought it would be very interesting to ask around and share some stories with you all from these amazing women in the jewelry business.
With this, I also want to thank every single mom who has participated and for willing to share something which is very personal.
So mamas, thank you!

Nouran Elmarmari – Marmari

Being a working mom certainly has its challenges. It also has its benefits. I do believe that we sometimes focus on the time that we don’t spend with our kids while working rather than focusing on the benefits that our kids reap because we are working mothers.

A week ago, Tuleen, my 5 years old daughter, took me by complete surprise when she proudly showed me her 3 drawings of bracelets saying “Mommy, I think you don’t have enough bracelets in your collections, so I designed these to help you! Could you make them pretty in real life?” I was about to burst out crying but held it together and told her I will definity get these done and thanked her for her help and asked for more designs.
Not only was she right, my daughter was proud of me! I realized that all the time I spent explaining why “mommy was busy” was actually not bad parenting after all. She felt included and that this is her brand too because I made an effort to include her and took the time to explain what my job entails, took her opinion in almost every design and shared with her some of the interesting things about my job.
That moment made me realize that although there are moments that I missed, milestones that I was too busy to enjoy, I was still a good parent.

Owning my own business allowed me to be more flexible with my time. But before owning my own business, I was an employee. My job as a promotion director required very long hours. So, Every week I would make sure that I give Tuleen a day or even a couple of hours if I am super busy and we would both call it “Tutu’s Day” which is her nickname. That made her feel extra special because we spent it as a family and we do it her way, lots of ice-cream involved, and I make a point of not checking my mobile or use my laptop when we are having a “Tutu’s day”.
I do believe that the key to success as a working mom is to stop feeling guilty and include our children in our careers. There are other things that help a lot, such as:
• Delegation, you do not need to do each and everything yourself to be a good mom. If your work schedule forces you to miss bedtime, for example, make it up in a different way that doesn’t put you under so much pressure.
• It is also essential to include your other half. It’s teamwork to bring a child to the world and it should be a teamwork to raise them.

I believe that children do benefit from having a working mom as they learn how to be more independent, organized and they value family time more.
After all, my fine jewelry brand “Marmari” is my legacy to her. So it’s a team work.

Beth Bugdaycay – Foundrae

From our tenets, I am hoping that every mother can identify with each of them, but it’s the True Love tenet that I’d like to emphasize, specifically the 7 types of love. For sure a mother can identify with Storge, the love between a parent and a child, but I think, more importantly, mother’s need to be reminded and to reflect on the idea that it’s not just the love for their children that fills their heart, but also Philia,( friendship), Philautia, (Self-love), Agape (universal love), Eros (romantic love)..among others.  It’s important that mother’s find the time to feed the different types of love that fill their hearts which I believe keeps them from feeling drained.  I think Mothers need to remember that it’s not just about teaching their children the idea of growing and learning, resilience and self-forgiveness and continual personal-evolution, but believing that those things apply to themselves too. 
My best mother “hack”: keep crepe batter or waffle batter already made in the fridge-make a double-triple batch when you mix it.  Then just cook them fresh in the morning. 

Priyanka Kedia – Ayva Jewelry

Trying to juggle kids and a business is no easy feat. There are many sacrifices you have to make on both ends and you have to stop feeling bad about them. Always think about the big picture, and believe that it’s meant to happen. When you miss something with the kids, you just have to remember that they see you working hard and you will have instilled those values in them for when they grow up. Someday they will learn to appreciate all that you had to do when you were juggling both (well, that’s what I hope!).
My daughter, who is 5, always wants to know what I’m doing. She wants me to show her the new pieces and then she’s always in awe and says, “mom, I can’t believe you designed this piece. Could you please teach me how to do this when I grow up?”
My son is equally involved. He always looks out and tells me, “Mom, you should check this out.” He understands a more of the business side since he’s a bit older, so I always show him a picture of a store that I visit or that’s carrying my line, so that he can see how beautiful it is and where his mom’s products are being sold. He loves to hear about it.

I wake up early in the morning—before my kids. I take some time to meditate, and then think of my day ahead and plan what needs to be done. It’s surprising how much just a little alone time when you are a mother helps you clear your mind and thinks strategically.