Life is full of surprises. At one point, I considered myself only a student and then in the blink of an eye, I became an adult. Adult life is filled with responsibilities to juggle while still finding time to do what you love.
I don’t claim to be the best at this adult-business; in fact, I’ve lived most my life being somewhat of a free spirit. I have to try hard every day to balance my own life and work, and it’s never an easy thing. You learn a lot along the way, and I feel like it’s a constant lesson in evolution.
As a working professional, I struggle to find the time to focus on my own passions and personal goals. I love being outdoors and travelling and realized that these things required more time, money, and planning, which is difficult to do when responsibilities at work increase.
The most rewarding responsibility by far, is having a family and raising a young daughter. Being a mother is definitely the hardest job I have and in no way comes easy for me. Parenting is a constant battle of balance, figuring out how to invest in your child without sacrificing yourself. However, there are certain lessons I’ve learned along the way to keep me focused and motivated. There is still hope for me yet to be a responsible adult!
First, finding the right job is half the battle. My mother has been a great inspiration for me as a professional. She would work long hours to provide for her own family of 7. I can’t imagine how hard it must have been to leave birthdays and holidays with her kids to get back to another long day at work. I always try to keep her in my mind when things get difficult. She taught me that we can’t do everything in life, but we have the ability to try our hardest at all times.
When I was six months pregnant, I was notified that the company I worked for was going to close in the recession. It was really hard to accept at first, but the silver lining was being free to find a position that better fits my lifestyle.
When I was ready, I took on freelance projects with work-from-home options; this allowed me to work within a field I loved and gave me the freedom to spend some time with the little one. This also was the perfect opportunity to travel with her- kids fly free until the age of 2- so we spent some time visiting family and friends across the U.S. whenever I could.
This may sound cliché, but taking on a position that lets you do what you love really does make it seem like it does not work at all. It may be more difficult to find something that allows for the work and life balance you need but it is so worth it. As the old saying goes, “you can find a road, or you can make one” and taking the time to make a road for myself gave me the chance to really get back to my own passions.
After my daughter was born, it was clear that I would need to adapt my lifestyle to really learn how to be the best mom for her. My advice: be realistic with your personal goals here, as they now revolve around someone else. I’ve seen videos of moms on maternity leave taking their first baby backpacking and I’ve also heard of mothers who gave birth on the road while on amazing campervan travels.
Traveling during that time is definitely an option, but understand there are risks and some challenges that come with travelling with babies. I experimented with doing small trips in the U.S., mostly flying, as long drives can be pretty torturous for little ones.
Basically, life is different as a new mother, and sometimes your personal hobbies may take a back seat from time to time. In the end, you are actually making new adventures for yourself in parenting, so use common sense to feel out what is possible in your new role.
Travellers have a great sense of adapting to the different things that life throws at them. Our first flight together was from San Francisco to Chicago when she was about 5 months old and I had so much trouble getting through the airport with all the things I brought with us: diapers, stroller, breast pump, spare bottles, car seat, and so on. Babies come with lots of stuff.
I had her in a baby carrier so I could be hands-free, but that wasn’t enough. At 6 months, she flew with my husband and I to Hawaii. I felt between the both of us, we had a handle on carrying additional stuff. But I didn’t expect her to have explosive diarrhoea on the flight. Her diaper practically exploded, and her clothes were a mess.
After that, I always remembered to pack extra clothes..and to expect the unexpected. Her first camping trip was to Angel Island in the middle of San Francisco Bay at 8 months old, and she showed such interest in it that we have been camping regularly ever since. One thing you quickly learn is that travelling with a child can be full of the unexpected.
She’s now 4 years old, she is a frequent camper and has been to a couple countries and different states and we all love the new adventures we can experience together. I found there is a lot of trial and error when it comes to travelling with a child. It can be stressful at first but eventually, you learn what is going to work for your family. Just as adults learn to be good travellers, children can learn that too.
From the very beginning, you will learn everyone has advice on how to raise your child. I completely understand the reasons why keeping a regular bedtime or a general daily routine is important to the growth of my child, however, some of those rules can make it harder to travel. I’d like to think I keep all that advice in mind but take cues from her and follow my gut. At four, she’s pretty flexible when it comes to this lifestyle. She also benefits from every new experience.
I also benefit in many ways by showing her something she has never seen before. There’s something endlessly entertaining about getting the curious and sometimes silly questions that 4-year-olds have, especially when they’re about sights and sounds I’m seeing for the first time as well.
I love that she’s old enough to regulate herself, for the most part, even turning down campfire s’mores to get into her sleeping bag when she’s tired from the day. I also really appreciate her independence because she is getting too heavy to be toted around in a carrier. All these moments have made travel more important to me as a mother, to be able to personally share something new with her.
For so long, I worried about how to do it and balance everything else, and what I can share with others is that you just need to have patience with yourself, learn from your mistakes, and even follow your child’s lead from time to time. As many wise people have once said, nothing worthwhile comes easily and I can’t think of anything more worthwhile than showing my daughter the world.
About the Author: Jamielyn was born and raised in Chicago, but currently living sunnier days with her family in Oakland, California. She is a mother and wife with a love of interior design, the outdoors, travelling, eating well, and the family dog, “Toaster”. On Jamie’s blog, Ever Winding Road, she shares travel and life adventures with her family, which were inspired by documenting her daughter’s experiences in the hashtag Evie Bear Adventures. Follow her on Instagram and Twitter.
