In the lead up to Mother's Day we're sitting down with some inspirational mums to learn a little bit more about them and their journey through motherhood. We sat down with Beauty Food co-founder, and multiple business owner, Libby Babet!
Who’s in your family?
Me, my husband (and Beauty Food co-founder) Justin, and my 2.5 year old daughter, Izzy.
What is the biggest challenge of being a mum?
For me, it’s balancing mum life and work life (in my case, juggling multiple businesses including Beauty Food and a very physical gym/dance studio). Previous to having Izzy, I was able to just throw myself at whatever needed doing in my businesses to take them to the next level and get to where I wanted to go. I definitely can’t do that now and I still find it a hard adjustment 2.5 years in! Also, when kids are sick and you have nobody to help but you have a lot to do in your businesses, woah it’s such a process of letting go!
What has been your biggest achievement as a mum?
Just becoming one! I didn’t have my cycle for more than a dozen years before falling pregnant with Izzy. I was 36 at the time I fell pregnant and had almost given up on motherhood as an option for me. What a late-life gift!
What has shocked you the most about being a mum?
Two things… how much you just can’t possibly imagine life without that little human in it and obsessively think about them all day long, and also on the other side of the coin, something I wasn’t quite prepared for was that feeling of ‘never being able to turn off’. It’s putting on your best face for work, then at home putting on your best face for your child/children, and then in my case (Iz won’t sleep anywhere but with me), being there for them all night amidst wake ups, toilet and water requests, dreams and all the other reasons they wake up! It’s relentless love and relentless effort… such a physical representation of life really!
Your biggest lesson as a mother?
Motherhood is SUCH a personal upgrade. If you’re not constantly owning and working on your own shit, guess what? You’ll eventually put it on to them. I’m so glad I had the opportunity to become a parent because, aside from the joy of having that little person in your life, the person you (hopefully) transform into in the years following their birth (and beyond, I’m sure) is just, a better person!
What one piece of advice would you give someone about to become a parent?
The advice I keep trying to take myself. That it is HARD when you’re existing at that intersection between ambition and parenthood (especially early parenthood, and especially if you don’t have family close by!) because you have both a full-time job at work and a full-time job at home, and not being present with your kids when they’re with you has such an impact. I’ve had to learn to be okay with not getting everything done. With letting some things slip. With not being perfect. With life being a big, beautiful mess. You’ve just got to keep focusing on the ‘beautiful’ part ;)
Oh, and a little mantra that works for me is "soak it all up because it'll be over before you know it". When they're laughing, soak it all up. When they're crying, soak it all up. I know I’ll miss all of it when Izzy doesn't need me anymore!
