As an expat, no matter which city I’m invited to a dinner party, the question inevitably comes around to: So what do you do?
“I just stay home with the children,” I reply. Wait, did I say “just”?
Not only was I supporting my husband and our family business in Monaco, but I was also playing a big part in its design and advertising strategy, using my extensive connections to create new accounts, and on top of that I was taking care of the FIVE children living with us at the time. So what’s up with “just”?
I think we can all agree that there’s no such thing as “just” when it comes to raising children, so why do we moms undermine ourselves when it comes to what we do?
True, you can feel both isolated and intimidated being a mom in Monaco. It’s not easy to simply start talking to other mothers at the playground at Place des Moulins, and there are some moms, you know the ones – they drop their kids off at school looking like they’ve just come from a photo shoot – who make you touch your own hair to see if it’s even brushed. It can be real confidence crusher, even more so when your husband is often travelling or at home but always working.