One of my New Year's intentions is to share thoughts and opinions from a diverse group of women on this blog. Of course, to be cohesive with the subject matter, I will invite women who identify themselves either as feminists, spiritual entities, or mothers. Ideally, all three. Hehe.
My musings can be repetitive. I'm opening the conversation to include musings from other women.
First up, Janelle.
I am inspired time and time again by my friend, Janelle. We went to high school together, and have rekindled thanks to social media, despite the geographical distance. She is a mother to 3, a wife, an entrepreneur, a Christian and a feminist. I asked her some questions, and she gave me some answers.
Thank you for bravely sharing your musings, Janelle! I hope anybody reading this with young kids checks out your business!
*If you think you could provide thought provoking responses to these questions, I encourage you to reach out to me. Click "Contact" at the top of the page! Thanks, and happy reading!
xo,
L
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What's your definition of a "feminist"?
A feminist is someone who is genuinely interested in the equal and fair treatment of women. By my definition a feminist is not only classified as a woman but a father, a brother, a son or a husband.
Do you consider yourself a feminist?
As a woman, and the mother of a little
girl, it would be an atrocity for me not to consider myself a feminist!
How has empowering yourself as a woman made you a better mother?
Yes, I believe self-empowerment causes
an inevitable improvement in all roles you occupy. Before you were a mother,
wife, student, career woman etc. you were first an individual. If you empower
that individual everything else will naturally grow as well.
Do you feel closer to whatever you call the Higher Power since a having a "feminist awakening"? Further from? Ambivalent? Do you think feminism and spirituality are related, or have nothing to do with one another?
As a woman, having children (or the
conscious decision not to) changes how you view your own feminism; it helps you
to realize and step into your greatness. Having children also causes a
reflection that changes how you see your Creator. I am sure there is some sort
of awakening for men, but as a woman—the physical vessel in which life passes
through—this little person growing inside of you becomes a miraculous phenomenon
(between bouts of morning sickness). The older I am the more real God becomes
to me; He is less of a character in a really old story book but more a
benevolent friend.
This question is a bit tricky as I feel
like the Bible is one of the most chauvinistic and sexist books known to man.
However, with that said I also do not believe in the Bible as it is written.
Feminism is not represented in the Bible, as women are only portrayed as “helpers”
rather than “initiators” and if a woman is mentioned in a leading role it was
usually in a negative light (Jezebel, Delilah, the daughter of Herodias to name
a few). We are ordered to be submissive to our husbands and to obey. I could go
on…but I’ll step off my soap box for now.
What encouraged you to start your own business?
I was 6 months pregnant and excited to
finally go shopping for my son. After 2 hours of exasperation and frustration I
realized that there is a clear bias in favor of little girls in retail. The
girls had 6 racks of pretty little frilly things and perfectly coordinated
outfits while the boys had 1 table of ugly brown onesies. To make it worse, we
were getting triplicates of baby gifts because the options for little boys are
so scarce. So in an act of sheer desperation—and boredom from being on bedrest—I
bought a sewing machine and discovered I was actually good at it!
In addition, I was so sick of tiny teddy bears or bouncing bottles on ALL MY
STUFF! If I had to carry it then I wanted it to be cute!
What's your greatest struggle being a female entrepreneur?
Balancing it all. I am always coming up
short in some role that I occupy. If I’m fully engrossed in a new pattern or a
new project then I am neglecting time with my children. If I am playing with my
kids and creating memories then I am forsaking time I could dedicate to expanding
and growing my business. I think that this is further highlighted by the fact
that I am a Stay at Home Mom. It would be easier if I took them to daycare to
go to a traditional 9-5 as it would lend itself to out of sight, out of mind
(out of guilt) but when I am sticking my one year old in front of Disney Jr. to
start a project or listening to my 2 month old scream because I’m just at the tail
end of a project then I feel like the worst mom in history. I wrestle with maintaining
my business or dedicating my time to my children every hour.
How do you market your business?
Twenty-Nine E11even LLC. offers handmade
gifts and custom creations. Founded on the scripture of the same reference:
Jeremiah 29:11 "For I know the plans that I have for you..." Everyone
has a purpose and it is for that purpose we bring you items of the highest
quality at the most affordable prices. There are very few things greater than a
customized gift from the heart; it is the perfect way to say "I love
you" and "I care." Allow us to help you express that love as
only the best can do! It is a blessing to be a part of your purpose at
Twenty-Nine E11even!
How does your spirituality impact your business-making decisions?
I try to do honest business, business
with integrity and create items that I would be proud to represent. The fact
that I am a Christian holds me to a higher standard meaning I do not take
shortcuts in quality in order to positively impact my bottom line nor do I
upcharge just to “discount” in order to make a sale.
What spiritual practices//habits//routines do you incorporate into your life? How do you bring spirituality to your family life?
My spirituality is based on a relationship
with God and His son Jesus. As with any relationship constant communication is
needed in order for it to grow and flourish. I do not practice daily meditative
prayer in a formal sense, but I do talk to God/Jesus on a daily basis. This is
usually accomplished during cleaning (which I find very meditative in itself),
early in the morning before the kids are up and late at night once they have
gone to bed. This is not a formal “most kind heavenly Father, Lord I am thankful
for your many blessings…” kind of prayer just a normal conversation with my
Creator. I talk to him like I talk to my friends, I express my gratitude, and I
ask for His protection.
Because my children’s spirituality is
predicated on my example, I do not hide the moments in which I openly have conversations
with God. I usually have these converstations aloud anyways. In addition, we go
to church (most Sundays… I do not want them to think that perfect church
attendance is required for their salvation), we say grace before meals (whether
we are in public or not) and we pray before school and work every day as a
family. My daughter will remind us if we don’t make it a priority in the
morning.
Are you raising your kids the same way you were raised, from a religious standpoint? What are you keeping the same and what are you consciously changing?
Ummmmmm no! I was raised in a
Pentecostal church (in our sect of Pentecostalism our churches all end in
Church of God in Christ or C.O.G.I.C) by a father who was on track to be a Pentecostal
Pastor. This meant we were to be the example of Godliness which in the COGIC
church meant the strict adherence to a million rules. For example, we were not
allowed to play games that had dice, could not listen to secular music, could not
wear pants, dye our hair, wear red nail polish or lipstick or open toed shoes
(just to name a few). All of these were justified and validated by scripture of
course. We were also required to memorize countless scriptures, had to be the
first to join every organization and could be found in church every day that
ended in “Y”. Our spirituality was defined by religion; the continuous
repetition of an act.
Though I appreciate the fact that my
parents introduced me to God at an early age, taught us how to pray before they
taught us our “ABC’s” and shielded us from some aspects of the world I do not
agree with the manner in which they went about it. I want my children to build
a relationship with God based on a desire to gain an understanding, love and
respect; I do not want them to blindly follow for the sake of religion.
What is the difference between religion and spirituality?
Religion is a habitual act; we brush
our teeth and wipe our butts religiously. Spirituality is based on a
relationship built upon understanding. When you love someone you go out of your
way to learn about their past, their preferences and their beliefs. If you love
Christ wouldn’t you do the same?
What do you think happens when we die?
I do believe that there is a heaven. Its
funny when I was little I was told that heaven was like going to church all day
every day for eternity. This sounded like hell to me and I wanted nothing to do
with it lol. Some people have told me that we will not have relationships in
heaven because there would be no need for them. But what kind of heaven would
it be if I didn’t know my aunts, grandmas, mother, father husband or children?
I would rather live my trying to get to heaven than to die and wish I was
there. Just as there is a heaven I also
believe there is a hell and I am not trying to discover that place!
How do you talk to your kids about the big questions?
I try to give them the version of the truth that I feel is appropriate for them to understand. I do not lie to them and I am not good with euphemisms, but I do at least try and make it age appropriate. I also do not believe that I have to have all the answers and I am not afraid, or ashamed, to admit to my kids that I do not know everything.
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