There are days I ask myself: What on earth was I thinking?
Starting a business while raising a toddler is not for the faint-hearted. In fact, I think it might take a bit of madness, a touch of bravery, and a whole lot of stubbornness. People talk about work-life balance, but when you’ve got a small child under your feet and a to-do list longer than your arm, it’s not work-life balance. It’s life-work chaos, or at best, life-work juggle.
Let’s be honest: toddlers don’t care about deadlines. They don’t understand that you’re on a Zoom call or that your brain is juggling five tasks at once. They want snacks, cuddles, and to be chased around the living room with a hairbrush pretending to be a microphone. And as exhausting as it is, it’s also beautiful—because they are only this small for such a short time.
I used to imagine “balance” meant equal weight on both sides—calm mornings, focused work hours, gentle family dinners. But balance, for me, now looks like replying to emails one-handed while holding a teething toddler. It looks like planning a business strategy at 11pm once she’s finally asleep. It looks like saying no to some things I’d love to do in business, because my little one needs me more.
And that’s why I’ve started calling it life-work balance. Life, for me, will always come first. My family, my child, the moments that pass too quickly to ignore—that’s where I start. The work? It fits around the edges. Sometimes it’s squeezed in during nap time. Other times, it’s done with CBeebies in the background and a toddler climbing my legs.
But here’s what I’ve learned:
There is power in the mess.
I’ve become more focused. More resourceful. More determined. I know what I’m working for. Every late-night planning session and every nap-time brainstorm is driven by a love so fierce it’s unstoppable.
If you’re reading this and you’re in the thick of it too, just know: you are not alone. Whether you’re building a business, going back to work, or simply trying to survive another day of parenting—you’re doing something extraordinary. You’re raising a tiny human while trying to hold onto yourself, your dreams, and your goals. That’s no small feat.
To all the parents trying to do both: let’s stop striving for perfect balance. Let’s embrace the glorious chaos and call it what it is—life-work.
Call to Action:
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NHS. (2024). Your toddler’s development UK Government. (2023). Flexible working and parental rights Working Families UK. (2024). Support for working parents
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