Simultaneously Working and Raising a Child, Farah Waheda’s Style

Farah Waheda is not your typical average working mum. She is a woman of many talents. Starting a blog some years ago caught the attention of some of the biggest brands and companies to blog about their products and services.

Since then, she has become a well known influencer within her own field and is currently active on our Ibuencer platform by supporting Motherhood.com.my‘s social media campaigns. In addition to being a personal assistant for a living, raising her child is also her main focus.

Whilst having multiple jobs and roles at the same time, she shares that she doesn’t want to be away from her child and wants to be there for her son whenever she can.

Farah wants to have the privilege of being able to work and spend more time at home with her son, and of course, the pandemic happened. We sat down with her recently to ask how she does it all, to maintain her routines for parents alike.

“I want to do it all. Not necessarily being a helicopter mum. Right now, I’m happy to be able to work, raise my son and to be on this incredible journey as an influencer. What most people don’t know is that I started out as a blogger.

Of course, these days you have to spend more time across all social media platforms. That’s where a lot of people, brands and companies will notice you,” she said. 

For most parents, it’s impossible for every parent to know exactly how to raise a child and to have a full-time job at the same time. Farah agreed, every technique and method works differently on each parent.

She shared, “I definitely think that it depends on how we manage our time. It’s all about finding the right time to work and looking after your child at the same time. You can just work all the way but you will never get that time back when raising a child. 

Soon, your child will grow up feeling ‘abandoned’. Us, working parents, we all have different times to go to work. Some mums are working after office hours, late nights, working on a shift and during the weekends. It’s all about adjusting and scheduling, and I have to admit it’s never easy.

There’s no manual, ‘How To’ books or guidance for us to do this as working mums. We have to do it according to our own time. It may be an issue but I know we can juggle and do this. If it becomes a challenge? Count it as a blessing instead.

When my son grows up, I don’t want to have all these questions like “Where did the time go?” or “Was I there for my son when he needed me the most?”. Now that my son, Firash, is in school, I want him to have a normal childhood and schedule.”

It’s pretty awesome and feels relatable to see Farah opening up to us about her struggles as a working mum. So we decided to ask her, how do you do it all?

“It’s funny, I keep hearing parents telling their children what to do or how to do certain things. I mean, let them be. As for me, I will always speak to my son as an adult so that he will have a better understanding when he grows up and becomes a man. 

I think almost every parent, everywhere these days may be facing the same issues. We all want to raise them right so that they will be respectful of themselves, and of course, succeed in all areas of life. But have you been telling them a lot of Don’ts instead of Do’s these days?”

So here are some of the biggest Don’ts you should be avoiding at all costs according to Farah Waheda:

1. Don’t try to be your children’s friend. Instead, just be their parent. Your child can consider you their ‘best friend’ at times but you can also become their worst enemy. Instead of being a nosey parent wanting to know all their secrets, leave that task to their friends. There are some things better left unsaid or unheard as a parent.
2. Don’t be judgmental. Avoid criticising them. A good tip for an iridescent parent like yourself is to try to be more encouraging and supportive. For example, if you think your child’s drawing looks messy, leave your comments by including these words: artsy, playful and creative.

   

3. Don’t overindulge your children to buy their affection. Here’s why it is so important for you as a parent to always remember this rule: Gifts and money will never replace all attention, time and showering unconditional love towards your children.
4. Don’t try to treat them as ‘less than you’ just because they are young and inexperienced. Remember, age is just a number. If you pay closer attention and respect them enough, they can think and act more mature than you give them credit for.

   

5. Don’t make your older children parent your younger ones. That’s your job! If you ever feel like you need help, it is okay to ask for some from the older ones for minor and simple tasks, especially when looking after the younger ones. But never ever ask the older ones to discipline or co-parent them.
6. Don’t be a know-it-all. That’s your teen’s job—until he realises that he really doesn’t know it all. Let’s be honest, we have all been there during our teen years. (Yup, I’m talking to you, former one-time Mrs-Know-It-All!)
7. Don’t do for your children what they should be doing themselves. It simply tells them that they are not smart enough or incapable. Or both. However, it is okay to give them gentle reminders every now and then.

   

Her hard work and dedication have definitely paid off. Not too long ago, she was awarded as one of the ‘Top Performing Influencers’ at the Ibuencer Awards, presented by Motherhood.com.my. She also dedicated her top honour from Ibuencer to her son, Firash. 

Congratulations, Farah!

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