Mother - The top job I want to succeed at
By: Judith Mutua
Posted on Tuesday, June 16, 2020
Ever heard of “Mumpreneur”? This term captures the essence of being a mum and entrepreneur. At the forefront of helping Mumpreneurs in Kenya is Supamamas, founded by Christine Khasinah Odero.
At first glance, Supamamas is a marketing and events company but when you look further, you find a company that inspires mums. Through events and their website, Supamamas encourages mums to remain in business by imparting the skills needed to thrive.
And even as she helps mums navigate the journey of motherhood, Christine has also learnt a lot through the experiences she shares with other mums on Today’s Parent at Switch TV. The show airs every Monday to Friday at 10am and repeats at 4.00 pm sharing information with parents through invited experts on various parenting topics as well as ordinary parents to share their nuggets of advice and inspiring stories.
Finding balance
“Motherhood is a calling and a great gift to any woman. Personally, it has been fulfilling. Seeing children grow with confidence has been rewarding and enjoyable with both my boys,” says the mother of two boys aged 10 and two years.
She adds: “The top job I would want to succeed at is being a mum. Hence for any challenges that come my way, I try my best to overcome them and always put any frustration I have aside while focusing on the well-being of the children. I focus on their happiness”.
As an entrepreneur, Christine says she often has to put in more hours, which sometimes makes her feel guilty for not spending enough time with the children.
“As a busy mum, I started focusing on spending quality time with them since sometimes quantity time can be tricky.
The other challenge I experienced, especially when the children were younger was feeling overwhelmed — with so much to do and many roles to play.
In as much as you may have a career or a business to run, you have to find a way to ensure that your children and family at large feels your presence in their lives,” says the 39-year-old.
Delegating duties
“Having a good house help, who is like my right hand person, has been a reliever as she ensures that the home runs on a schedule and the children are well taken care of.
I find that structure and a good support system does help. However, I am proactive in carrying out certain roles around the home and like doing them well.
In case I’m away, my house help and children know what to do and this has helped keep things in check and even made them to be responsible.”
According to Christine, motherhood has taught her patience, courage and it has certainly made her work harder.
Tight bond
Even as she brings up her children, there are several tips she has employed. “There is no way any one can be a perfect mother.
But what I know for sure is that I am doing my best. Making the moments count and intentionally carving out time to spend with them is the most important thing any parent can do.
Listening to them at their level and expressing interest in what they like and nurturing it has seen me create a tight bond with my children.
For example, my eldest son likes football hence I engage him in matters football. He has enrolled in a Football Academy as a way of growing his talent and passion,” she says.
With several roles to play, Christine is quick to point out that there are times she has had to watch out for parental burnout.
“I manage the stress by practicing self-care so that I’m able to parent effectively with good vibe and joy, which helps me to have happy self-assured children,” she says.
Her word of advice to other parents is: “Be intentional and model good behavior.”
Your children are a reflection of the environment they are being raised in. Your children will mirror your behavior, and it’s important for us as parents to model those virtues we want our children to have such as kindness, helpfulness, hard work, honesty among others.”
The one gift she hopes to give her children is confidence. “I want them to believe that there is nothing they can’t achieve if they put their mind to it and the worst is not to try.
I want them to have good life skills to help them navigate through life beyond being book smart,” she says.
