Yes those words came out of my mouth and I physically recoiled!
Let me set the scene… we were at the opticians, hubby picking up his glasses and me waiting to get my eyes tested. The optician comes over and makes small talk before saying we had forms to fill in..so far so good.
Name…check…
Age.. cringe but check…
Occupation… pause..oh ..erm..I erm guess you can..erm just put mum?!? *blush*
WTF!
I actually blushed, I wanted to take it back and say it with pride but it was out there, …I am JUST a mum!
She didn’t even lift her head from the paper and wrote, MUM.
NEVER in my entire life have I ever felt so worthless and it was completely my own fault!
She didn’t look up, she didn’t stare at the kids and judge me….I caused that worthlessness and once we were in another room I decided I needed to speak up!
NOT for her or the paperwork…but for me, for me to feel like everything I do means something. That everything WE do means something!
I was looking down a lens and she asked what I enjoyed doing which is when I mentioned baking and how I had a cookbook published.
She physically stopped the eye test and sat back! ‘Oh wow, tell me more!’
One thing led to another and before I knew it she had extracted how I ran a blog and had done for almost 14 years, how I loved to craft and taught classes, had written, photographed and edited a book which was published in 2012 and I was working on book 2. How I was ambassador for numerous brands and pitched to on a daily basis to promote their items etc. All while raising 6 children and running a home at the same time.
I explained how I am registered as self employed and make children clothing and run a successful Facebook store making handcrafted homewares and love to read, marathon watch TV programmes and create art with my children in my spare time.
She mentioned that another of her colleagues was heavily into making things and we must have a craft off when the shifts were over, this lovely lady seemed genuinely interested in everything I had told her, she was in awe at the fact I make things and still find the time to do all I do yet I sat there explaining it like it was nothing.
This unsuspecting woman opened my eyes to how I was portraying MYSELF – all without even realising just how much I was playing down.
I’M NOT JUST A MUM!
NONE OF US are JUST MUMS – we are so much more and we need to stand up and realise that. We need to realise our worth.
I AM AN AUTHOR
I AM AN AMBASSADOR
I AM A BUSINESS WOMAN
It just so happens that I am a BLOODY GOOD MUM TOO!
XOXO
Debbie