THE HAIRPOLITAN MAGAZINE VOL 6 MAY 2017

my time. My job was hectic, straddling between TV,
Radio and Print. I have young kids who still need me
to check homework and spend time with them, yet
there I was going for weekend shoots etc.Two years
ago, I also set up a physical shop which I had run
online and from the boot of my car for as long as I
was employed but now I wanted to also have some
time to dedicate to it. As a family, we have business
plans and it was important that one of us has time to
actualize them.
What was the process of deciding to leave and
how did it affect your family when you told them?
The process of leaving ended up being quite easy;
it was a negotiated exit. For the last two years, I
had told everyone who cared to listen especially
the HR ladies, that I would want to leave but I had
dedicated so many years there that resigning was
not the best option for me. However, people kept
being let go and I would be left out! Finally, last
December the opportunity to leave came. I will not
go into too many details for legal reasons.
How many children do you have? How has it
been being a career woman while raising them?
I have 3 children, 2 boys and a girl. Raising them
while working was not a walk in the park. I did
suffer guilt once in a while about not being able to
spend as much time as I would have wanted with
them, and at times leaving them to go do my work
out of town. But all in all, I managed well because
although I was employed, I came up with my own
rule that I would not work past 5pm except in very
exceptional cases. It used to frustrate some people
but for me I preferred doing most of my work during
the 8 working hours and leaving on time because
I was more than an employee. My most important
role was at home. Work can wait, the family cannot.
Your employer will forget you in a week but your kids
need you all the time. In my case I must mention it
helped having their dad there and very hands on
with them so he would step in whenever I was not
available.
Would you encourage your children to be
employed or to employ themselves? I like to
think I am a very pragmatic person. I have enjoyed
being employed very much and now I am enjoying
being self employed. I would want my children
to be free to make their own choices, but for me
I was always both a Business person and a Career
person. However, I do not mind them starting out
as employees for a while to give them insight into
how businesses are run, and how to work within a
structured environment.
How is life outside of the working routine of
9-5pm? Is it what you expected? It has now been
four months, my best four months! I now have what
Jacinta with Resiato (girl) and Lenkai (boy).
I wanted, control of my time. Yaay! It is up to me to
choose what to do and when. Finally, I can engage
in some of the passions that I had neglected. For
example, I have not drawn anything for years, I
plan to go back to this, which is one of the things I
enjoyed doing before. Well my only surprise is that
I do not have the acres of free or idle time, which I
expected. A lot is happening all at the same time.
How has leaving work affected your relationship
with your children? My family was ecstatic that I
was leaving work, especially my husband who had
listened to me moan about work for a few years! The
children are one happy lot, they now almost always
find me at home when they come from school,
something they really like. I check homework and
guide them through it personally, whereas before,
at times, I would check it in a hurry in order to fit my
own evening activities in and prepare for the next
day.
I have more time to indulge in different activities
with them and now when they are on holiday we
are doing much more. It is tough when kids are on
holiday but you only see them in the evenings and
weekends.
What are you currently up to now? I am still
Consulting in Advertising & Production and
specifically for Oxygene Marketing; I am also still
running my household & home accessories shop
where I stock top quality items. Two months ago we
dug a borehole, and have set up a water purification
plant. We are doing a 6-step water purification
“I DO NOT HAVE
THE ACRES OF
FREE OR IDLE
TIME, WHICH I
EXPECTED
“
Images courtesy of Jacinta Mueni Kaikai
process and will pack all quantities from 500ml to 20
litres. We also plan to offer customized labels. I also
take on interior design projects. Basically my hands
are full!
What would you advise a working mother who
is just starting out? I will start with the cliché that
it will all work out and so one should not worry to
death about everything, as working mothers starting
out are bound to do.
My first piece of advice is be well organized both
at home and in the office. One way of organizing
yourself at home is to make sure you have a good
nanny who will take care of your children so that
you can work without too many disruptions. You can
also involve your family to help out with the kids as
necessary.
Jacinta with her eldest Leon
Work smart at work and deliver, that way, when you
need some time off to tend to mummy duties most
employers will understand.
Prioritize your family and people will understand
and respect that. For example, let everyone know
that if your baby is unwell, you will not be able to go
to work, when there are school events, you will need
to go for them and also that when you have small
children working very late nights almost daily cannot
work for you.
Ask other mums for help/advice in navigating
motherhood.
Create me time, for wine and a catch up with the
girls, a spa visit, do your nails, or just lie down
quietly on your own!
Be fearless and pray.
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