Being an entrepreneur means you are your own boss and you can also choose when and how to involve your kids to your work. My girls are now used to having moments where they could see me at work – in meetings, at events or like today in a shooting.
I grew up spending every Saturday in my father’s factory. Although I hated it when I was a kid, those were the moments where I picked up a lot of my father’s value and philosophy in life – making me who I am today. My value and belief in working hard came primarily from observing my father sweating and working hard at his factory.
Of course it’s not easy to manage the kids while you are at work and often time they may cause many disruptions. So do make sure you bring the right gear and treat for them and let them also to learn to respect you and others at work. Today the girls were asked not to make any noise at all while we were recording and they managed to behave well at the investment bank office.
Having the children at my work does not only let them observe what I do, it also helps them develop a sense of what their mother is capable of doing. The role of a mother does not bound by what she is capable of doing in the house but also what a mother is also capable of being out there. Children’s gender equality understanding also comes from how the parents share their responsibilities in the house while their fathers and mothers are equally capable serving their roles and duties in the other aspects of life.
I have two daughters who are two years apart. My elder one has more opportunity to see me at work while my younger one spends more time at home with our helper. Their understanding of gender role also has some difference. One day my younger daughter asked if girls should always stay home to take care of all housework while the boys should go out to work. Her older sister immediately responded no as both genders should have the equal opportunities to do the same. This reminded me that given the less opportunity for the little one to see what mommy does outside of the house could also leave her with that gender perspective.
So despite how challenging it was, today I brought both of them to work so to let them experience and see what I do and be able to share the same value on Each for Equal.
Something about the author:
A marketer, an entrepreneur, an advocate and a mother, Lena has a strong calling to push forward workplace diversity and flexibility. She believes there should be no boundary to how works should be done. She was a finance professional who left behind her decent livings and devoted herself to the family when her first daughter was born. She has eventually landed herself in her own marketing consultancy for small enterprises and also dedicated herself in founding Hong Kong Momtrepreneurs – a non profit organization in Hong Kong supporting moms and families in their entrepreneurial journey. Lena also appreciates the impacts from social innovations and further pursues her works in promoting UNSDGs.
In her leisure time, Lena enjoys sipping a glass of wine or coffee with friends and she contributes herself as Advisor and Trainer at Junior Chamber International and as Program Chair in HK Association of Business and Professional Women.