Being a Celebrity and a Mom can be daunting.  You don’t have typical working hours so some days you are lucky with time to spare but there are many moments where days in a row you don’t see your child.  Nights coming home and lying in bed are spent seeking the tiny hands that are in your bed [yes my daughter sleeps in my bed and I love it!] trying to regain the connection you felt you lost in the day.  I know of many celebrity mom counterparts who re-iterate the difficulty experienced when working in media with erratic schedules and balancing it all.

An example of a typical day:
4:30am:  

Get up for work.  My daughter doesn’t sleep well at night and I recently discovered [after many failed attempts of trying to get her to sleep properly] that she is ‘checking up’ on me to make sure I’m still lying next to her.  As a result of that every two to three hours she’s up, which means I’m up too.  This phase we call ‘separation anxiety’ and it happens every single weekday morning.  Eventually when I get ready she is moaning, this turns into screaming as I’m walking out the door accompanied with the words ‘No Mommy’ when I say ‘Mommy needs to go and work and will see you soon.”  

5:40am:

Arrive at work and getting ready to go on air in 20 minutes albeit I’m so groggy, feeling I need three cups of coffee in comparison to the one cup I had at home.   I’m not quite ready to feel the cheery energy I need to bring you for a show filled with laughter.

6:00am:
My first crossing from Cape Town to my Joburg counterparts for the morning breakfast show ‘Planet Haaibo’ on SABC 2000FM.  We chat, interact and always have loads of fun.  The saying of ‘smile even when you hurting’ applies to this moment as my lack of sleep and my own ‘separation anxiety’ of leaving my daughter is hitting hard.  However after a few sessions of laughter my mood lifts and I continue with my day.

9:00am:
I’m done with my shift and it’s time to start working on some administrative work.  I’m either getting ready to write an article for Zalebs or researching for my weekday and weekend shows.  I also have 2 huge projects I’m busy with.  The one as Project Director for ‘The Girlfriend Network’ the other is my production company ‘CatEye Productions’ so my day can turn into night very quickly.

 
[2:00 or 3:00pm]:
On a good day I can go home at this time, see my daughter, make a yummy supper and get into bed at about 8pm.  It usually takes my mind 2 hours to wind down as my thought activity is at its most active now.  I’m either thinking about the day or worrying about what I need to do tomorrow or next week.  This means my whole diary receives a schedule rundown and checkup in my head.  Eventually I tire of my thoughts and fall asleep.  

4:00-6:00pm:

On a busy day I’m reporting Live for nationwide traffic from 4 to 6pm on MetroFM and SAFM.  On a good day if there’s no traffic on my own route home I arrive early, on a congested day it takes me an hour to an hour and half.

7:00-7:30pm:
Finally at home, the munchkin should be in bed but she’s too excited as I’m home and wants to spend time with me.  I know I shouldn’t but I feel so guilty and heart sore that I work whole day and I only get the few remaining hours to see her.  It’s a Mom guilt you can’t really get away from.   Around this time I usually bathe her, make supper and we get ready for bed.  Some days, depending on her mood, I read her a bedtime story.  Without a doubt these moments are the highlight of my day.

Included in my schedule I also broadcast every Saturday night and until recently a Sunday night too.  So the time I have during the day on weekends I reserve for my daughter so that she has my full attention.  We play catch up on lost time in the week, visit family, friends or even attend a kiddie party.

My days are erratic, my schedule intense, life has its ups and downs but ultimately I will do what I must and am lucky to be doing what I love.   After all you only want the best for you kids.  So hoping your Mother’s Day is one that’s enjoyed every day.  You can only truly understand what it’s like to be a Mom when you are one to another human being.

A happy mom = a happy kid
Happy Mother’s Day…
Kia …