As a jewelry designer and a mom, I shouldn’t have been surprised when at around 2 1/2 years old, my son Phoenix started saying “mommy, I like your necklace” and “mommy, I like your red earrings”. At 3 years old, he was successfully opening and closing the box clasps on my bracelets. Now 4 1/2, he recently asked to make his own necklace, so this past weekend I set him up with a needle and thread, and we dove right in!
I pulled out two of my “mix boxes” (leftovers from previous projects) and let him select the beads of his choice. As he chose ancient African glass chevrons and beautiful deep red padre beads, I quickly realized I’d need to build him his own box of kid-appropriate beads. His final necklace is beautiful and contains a few surprises (a safety pin!). I loved seeing the pride he felt in creating his first piece of handmade jewelry. He wore his necklace all weekend and explained to whomever would listen that he made it all by himself! Do you bead with your kids? Do you have any favorite experiences or successes you’d like to share?
Working side by side at my desk.
Proudly wearing his first creation!
Kids Beading are enough to make my heart melt, especially when those kids are my own. You might think that we would bead together all the time, but sadly it’s not true. I have found that there is a window around six years old when kids get very excited about beads, but if they don’t get hooked then, they can drift away. When young friends come to visit, they salivate over all our great beading supplies but my kids generally avoid any activity I enjoy. I am their Mom, hence inherently boring, hence anything I like must be boring too………
My youngest daughter, Tali, is now six year old and I sensed an opportunity. Over labor day weekend, I dug out the beading supplies and showed her how to make bracelets and dragonflies. Not wanting to be left out, my oldest daughter, Lyra, joined in. Before they knew it, both girls were entranced. I knew it might never happen again, so I snapped a few photos. Do you ever bead with your kids?
Lyra Beading
Tali Beading
At the same time that we enjoy the benefits of flexibility, Designing Moms face many challenges. When your office is at home, it can be difficult to draw a line between work and household chores. Sometimes kids resent our work and compare us unfavorably to Moms who don’t juggle careers. Sometimes, we can’t stop judging ourselves. Sometimes, when we finally do sit down to work, it is hard to turn off the voice in our heads reciting a list of all the things we need to remember: “Pick Tali up at 4:00, Drop Lyra at dance class at 4:30, figure out what to make for dinner, Remind Tom to ask about the insurance, thank my Mom for watching the kids on Saturday……………….”
I would love to hear your tips for balancing family and work. All the little tricks that help you stay organized and buy you time at the design table. Here are two of my tips: 1. Don’t feel guilty saying no. I try to get into the classroom a few times a year but I don’t try to keep up with Mom’s who don’t work. I am grateful for their contribution and clear about my limitations. 2. Laundry isn’t rocket science, my kids do their own wash. Well.,OK, my six year old only folds hers but she is on a fast track to laundry independence. Anyone else?
Tali Helps QC Beads in 2003
Baby Lyra Models 1995
