Digital Media has helped me be a better Mum
It’s 3pm and I’m rushing up to the local primary school answering voice notes from my clients about their social media analytics. My two little girls, once they are let out of the school gates, are full of the joys of a good day, chattering to me about what they had for lunch and who they sat next too. I treasure this time with them, and I’m forever grateful for the flexibility that working in Digital Media brings me.
It’s one of the reasons that I decided to ‘go at it alone’ as a social media manager and content creator back in 2016. The fact I could work from anywhere at anytime of day had huge appeal to me. I had been working as a Marketing Manager at an Agency when I had my first child, quickly realising that although I loved work, I didn’t want to miss any part of her little life. I found I was able to fit content creation into nap times, scheduling client’s social media, and then being active for interactions in the evenings, which is key even if you don’t have children.
With just my laptop and my phone I was able to manage my clients from anywhere, connecting with them via Zoom or teams, sending content planners through Google Docs, keeping track of tasks with Asana, and gathering content through WhatsApp. I found I was able to carve out a place for myself in the digital world as a working Mum, that worked for everyone. And I didn’t need to sit at a desk 9am – 5pm to do it.
Almost eight years into working for myself I still feel joy at being able to be at those school gates each day. I’ve found the world of Digital Media to be so accommodating of children, and as the years go on, I find even more people getting on board with the idea of flexible working hours. For a long time I was afraid to tell new clients I was a Mum, worried that if they heard a child in the back ground of our calls (usually asking for a snack) they would think me unprofessional, but the Digital World has shown me that I am more than capable of managing a large Facebook advertising budget whilst opening a banana! And I’m a shining example to my girls for the future of their working years that going after what you want and being there for them can go hand in hand.
