Decisions, decisions and my little girl

At the beginning of the Summer we received a big shock. The offer of a full time place at Matilda's nursery. I know I know, some parents would throw their arms in the air and cheer. Not me, it took me completely by surprise. I should have thought, great no worries about who will look after her when I have meeting, or a job I can't take her to. Breathe a sigh of relief and let her go. But no, I had anticipated another year of having my little girl close, mentally this is what I was prepared for.

I know parents have to earn a living and have no choice but to put their young babies into nurseries, but this wasn't the road we took at that time. I gave up my career as a Theatrical Agent to set up a virtual assistant business with my close friend Bea. This meant I could primarily work from home, with the odd trip out or meeting accompanied where possible by my baby girl. Thankfully most clients prefer evening meetings so the reasons for starting this business have worked. Plus Bea, my partner, has been my huge rock taking the majority of the on site work. Alongside this, I then began consulting for actors, helping them find new representation or work. All this so that I could maximise my time with Matilda and the husband. My previous life, sadly, would not have been compatible.

After a Summer of deliberation, I began thinking that this was not anyone else's decision to make but mine and my husbands. We are believers that young children flourish much more in the home environment, Matilda is a testament to that ideal.

There has been some debate recently about whether children in the UK go into education too early. We do lean towards the opinion that yes they do. Although we have high aspirations for Matilda's education, we feel the groundwork should be done by us. I want her to enjoy learning, it should be fun and inclusive. Coming from an Arts background myself, I encourage her to learn through making, watching and listening. We try to ensure Matilda experiences a variety of activities from music to dance to sport. Her friendships are wide ranging, she is a regular at museums, theatres, she climbs trees, draws, paints, makes camp beds and bakes. Though sometimes she just likes to curl up with a movie under the blankie with a bowl of popcorn. We take the time to teach her, she practises her writing each day, works on her numbers, yesterday we learnt about dolphins, and today for the first time she wrote her own name (with guidance of course!).

I treasure each moment in her company, childhood passes so quickly I want to ensure I take full advantage of her. Her curiosity and enthusiasm for knowledge is wonderful , why would I give her up now to a full day at school? Thankfully my husband is of the same opinion. So for the time being she will remain at home where she is surrounded by plenty of creative stimulation, as well as being Mummy's PA!


Fantastic Mr Matilda Fox on Roald Dahl day




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