Mother’s Day is always a great time to take a moment to honor all the hard-working women in our lives — our friends, sisters, aunts, grandmothers, stepmothers, ourselves, and of course, our moms.

This Mother’s Day is different, of course. Many of us are not able to physically be near our mothers as we celebrate them. Nevertheless, if you are blessed to have your mother around, as I am, make her day special indeed. FaceTime or Zoom with her, send flowers and a gift, and make a promise to spend extra time together once we are able to do so.

I’m so grateful for my mom, Emily Link, as well as my stepmom, Christa Powell, who both instilled in me the values and beliefs that made me a better person – and a better business owner.

I’m also grateful to many women who have made contributions in my life, and this weekend, I’ll take time to send them a note or give them a call to express my gratitude.

Because this Mother’s Day will feel so different for many moms, I’ve asked my friend and colleague, Katherine Copeland, who is a copywriter, to share what life has been like for her during this pandemic as she mothers two young children.

I wish you a happy Mother’s Day!

Celeste

Pandemic Life With Children: a Mix of Blessings and Challenges

It’s hard to believe this Sunday will be Mother’s Day. It almost feels like time has frozen still since mid-March, doesn’t it?

Here in northern Virginia, we’ve enjoyed a long spring with temperatures warm enough that my two daughters, age 3 and 8, have played outside nearly every day to get out some of their pent-up energy. I’m grateful for the weather because I don’t know what we would do if we lived in Colorado or Minnesota, where it’s still snowing off and on.

Of course, we’re fortunate in many ways. In addition to our health, my husband and I both have the luxury of working from home in an office with a door we can close, and we haven’t lost any friends or family members to Covid-19.

But comparative suffering – negating your own hardships because others have it far worse – isn’t a fair game. Someone always has it worse than you do. That doesn’t make your experience any less real, or any less difficult.

When school was abruptly closed on March 13, if you had told me that we would still be at this six weeks later, I would have said there’s no way I could do it. Even in the summers, when my kids are not in camps so I can work, we’re on the move, going to parks and the zoo, museums, and on trips to see family. It was hard to even envision not leaving the house while working and home-schooling for a week, let alone six weeks or more.

Remote schooling has been a bumpy road. Technology glitches, a slow start, and an uneven experience for kids in our diverse district have meant that for the most part, we are on our own. I know my daughter will be fine once school gets back to normal, but for some of her peers, I’m not so confident.

And that’s for my school-age child. My preschooler can’t sit through FaceTime with a family member, let alone remote learning with a class of 3 year olds. So Mommy is her teacher now, which is unfortunate because I’m not nearly as patient as her teacher at school, who I am nominating for saint-hood. If there is a silver lining to all of this, perhaps teachers will receive a much-deserved raise as families realize just how difficult their jobs are.

In the meantime, we’re muddling through day after day. Work gets done at odd hours as we trade off work and kids. Clients understand, mercifully, because this has affected everyone.

I must say, I’m proud of myself and the moms of young children that I know. We’ve accomplished something amazing during this time. It hasn’t been easy, but we’ve done it. It’s asking a lot of parents to be both teacher and nurturer, playmate and enforcer, gym coach and shh-ing librarian (“Shh! Daddy’s on a call!”).

Someday, maybe on a Mother’s Day many years in the future, we’ll reflect back on this historic time. I want to remember both the good and the bad. The giggles coming from little girls still in their pajamas at 4 pm, as well as the fights over toys. The freckles on my 8 year old’s nose that appeared the first week home from days spent in a classroom and the tears over missing friends. The family movie nights and the “just put on the tv because, God help me, I’m losing my mind” moments.

Just like parenting as a whole, you take the good with the bad. You feel gratitude and overwhelm at the same time. And you take a lot of deep breaths.

Katherine Copeland is a copywriter who grows small businesses by creating vibrant, effective language for sales pages, emails, blogs, and social media. Get Katherine’s easy, effective Sales Page Template (the only one you’ll ever need) free at www.truestorysolutions.com.

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Thanks, Katherine! What Katherine’s words remind me of is how important it is that busy professionals delegate, even in a time of social distancing. Busy professionals must learn to delegate the parts of their business that they can’t or don’t wish to do, and many tasks can be done by remote teams.

At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I encourage the business owners and professionals I work with to explore ways to delegate in their businesses and their personal lives. If you excel at marketing but struggle with balancing the books, delegate to an accountant. When you spend the bulk of your time doing what you do best, and delegate the rest, your business will thrive and you’ll enjoy your work more while avoiding the burnout that is so easy to fall into right now.

Do you have trouble delegating the parts of your business that you struggle with? If so, contact me today to master the ability to do what you love and outsource the rest.

Celeste Giordano’s mission is to help business owners develop the skills, knowledge and attitude necessary to “DoublePlus^TM” their income and become effective and inspirational leaders in their fields. Whether it’s taking your successful business to the next level or starting a new venture, she will teach you the exact skills and strategies you need to enroll more quality prospects, build a rock-solid team, and break through obstacles to achieve real profit and lasting success. Celeste is a professional business growth specialist, a master sales strategist, and dynamic speaker with 40 years experience in direct sales and managing high-performing teams.

To learn more about Celeste, click here.

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At Celeste Giordano Coaching, I work with each client to implement the strategies they’ve been missing that will enable them to break through barriers preventing them from the success they know they are capable of. Contact me today to find your future clients who just don’t know what they’re missing.