Saturday, April 07, 2007

Presents for my girls

One of the important reasons that I began my business was that I wanted to be around for my girls. Zoe was 3 and Katie newborn when it all began and the business has grown with them - finally getting more serious when Katie hopped on to the bus to school last year.

I wanted to be able to go to all the school shows and to help with the school garden. I wanted to have them wandering about aimlessly in the sunshine during holidays.

It all sounds idyllic doesn't it? The down side for them is that I may work from home, but I do work. Running a small business is all consuming and at busy times they don't get enough attention.



It got particularly bad around the Country Living Fair - I missed a parents' evening, the house was hemmed in with boxes of stock and they were farmed out to a series of friends after school - so I decided to get them something as a thank you for their tolerance.

I have long admired Manda at Treefall design's sock puppies so I decided to get a couple of them - as you can see from the photos the girls are delighted.

The pups came beautifully wrapped with the most gorgeous gift tags so thank you very much Manda, beautiful!

5 comments:

Heather said...

I once read a small story about a young family who took their two children to the Dordogne each year and of tales of paddling and walking and a family gambolling around together.

I realised that that was what I wanted for me and my kids - summers counting butterflies and childrens laughter across the field. The sadness for me was to find their ideal was sat 3 inches from the TV screen and a bag of chips!!

I've never lost that idealised view of what our life should have been like - but the reality is that we have never been so wealthy that both parents didn't have to work - be that salaried or for ourselves.

On balance - I think balance is the important point - and no one has a life of unending summers in the meadow.

Kids I feel have to see what it is to work - to have a focus and even some stress doesn't hurt.

And to realise that Mum and Dad have lives that don't simply revolve around them.

The business can be a shared experience too - the odd missed parents evening won't in the grand scheme of things make that much difference.

But the moments you give over to them then are precious - and its enjoyed by everyone.

I still like the idea of the whole summer pootling around the waterways of France though!

Heather

Cape Cod Washashore said...

We run a family business, too. And as your two dear little girls are, our childrem become a "part" of the business, as they endure the comings and goings of a Mommy and Daddy who take turns tending to them. But I feel our family is especially close, and helpful to one another, and in tune to each other's needs, as we are together for most of the day (when the oldest ones aren't in school). We forfeit many family holidays, as our shop is open year round, and summers (when the kids are home from school) are our busiest time of the year. The few days we can manage to go away together (which is usually never more than a 3 hour drive from home), is like a heaven sent gift! Your girls will flourish! They look very happy!

Jane said...

Heather - I am sure I have seen the same article about the holidaying family.

Unfortunately I think even school teachers and university lecturers find that the 6 week summer holiday on a French campsite is a thing of the past. Euan's father was a college lecturer in the days before research commitments became compulsory and they spent the summer vacations in Provence. Hence his attachment to French vans!

My childhood holidays were pretty much the same as my daughters are today. My father was away at work, my mother busy working on her own stuff at home, there was a large garden to explore and lots of craft materials to experiment with. A freedom to do what we wanted as long as we didn't whine.

I am sure that I acted pretty much as they do as well - the odd day of Blytonesque treehousing and a lot of wanting to watch television.

J

Jane said...

Heather - I am sure I have seen the same article about the holidaying family.

Unfortunately I think even school teachers and university lecturers find that the 6 week summer holiday on a French campsite is a thing of the past. Euan's father was a college lecturer in the days before research commitments became compulsory and they spent the summer vacations in Provence. Hence his attachment to French vans!

My childhood holidays were pretty much the same as my daughters are today. My father was away at work, my mother busy working on her own stuff at home, there was a large garden to explore and lots of craft materials to experiment with. A freedom to do what we wanted as long as we didn't whine.

I am sure that I acted pretty much as they do as well - the odd day of Blytonesque treehousing and a lot of wanting to watch television.

J

weirdbunny said...

I'm sure the girls really appreciated their puppies. They also would have really enjoyed spending lots of time at friends houses !