My Hero!

Growing up I was always the one who, when Mum came home, would run through her legs to go out to play, almost shouting ‘FREEDOMMMMMMMM’, while my brother would be waiting with open arms for a big cuddle saying ‘MAMA’.

In my secondary school years, my life was basketball and my friends. Then for college I got out of dodge and went to Waterford to be my own person and be independent and I have to say, on the weekends I came home, Mum and I tended to clash a bit. I was probably a bit of a nightmare but who wasn’t at some stage growing up!

Then I went travelling for a year and it was the best year of my life but probably broke my mother’s heart at the thoughts that I may never return! I did get offered sponsorship when I did my stint in Australia but her words ‘I’ll be heartbroken if you stay there’ kept ringing in my head and the fact that I had yet to travel Asia led me to the decision to move on and head for home!

She wanted me to join the family business when I finished college but I always wanted to ‘make it on my own’, avoid nepotism and bring my own experience to the table. I’d say she didn’t know why I kept running away on her! Haha!

So after all of my independence, travel and work experience here I am, finally in the family business (well 7 years this month!)

Now in my thirties I have to say, my Mum is my best friend, my rock, my go to person! Literally from a young age, she was always so driven with work and made a success of herself. She was easy to talk to even though she prrrrrobably went a bit too overboard on the sharing i.e. sitting myself and my brother down, together, to watch ‘Sex education for girls’ and ‘Sex education for boys’ and waited out in the kitchen for any questions we had.  Or before I lost my virginity she forced me to bring a box of condoms on a trip I was going on despite me telling her I wasn’t doing the ‘no pants dance’ yet!

However, be it a personal problem, a work idea I want to float by her, an itch or a scratch, Mum is ALWAYS there. She and I are just totally on the same wavelength! So much so that she wrote a book this Christmas (just for family and close friends) which inspired me to finally get my arse in gear and start this blog! She has been through so much (that I won’t get in to – that’s her business), but here is the page she wrote on me in her book and that will tell you how close we are!

I am no doubt as her business partner and her daughter, becoming more and more like her every day but if I am half the mother, half the business person or half the looker that she is then I’ll be a very happy girl!

Love you mum!

J x