What I've Learnt From My Daughter

As parents we feel that we have a lot to teach, but sometimes it’s the lessons we learn from our children that are the most valuable. Three mothers share what their daughters have taught them…

Jessica Gois, 32, is a public relations director and lives in fourways with her husband don, 35, and one-year-old twin daughters Cali and Sadi.

I always knew that I wanted to be a mother; it was just a matter of when. But I felt I needed to tick a few boxes before bringing children into my life; I wanted to be in a stable and secure relationship and have a career. For me, this would ensure that I could take care of my children in the best way possible and give them a happy home. Don and I had been married for six years and I enjoyed my job in PR when I fell pregnant in 2017.

I always thought that I’d be more suited to be a mom of boys because I don’t really think of myself as being very girly, so when we found out we were having twin girls, I immediately thought, ‘Oh gosh, here comes trouble!’ It could have been that I was dreading the teen years or our future shopping bills; either way, I was a little nervous and had no clue about just how much our lives would change.

THEN AND NOW

Before Cali and Sadi my life was a blur of going to work every day, client meetings, and weekends spent with Don and our friends. Most of my attention was on my job: I’d go into the office early and stay late – even if I got home at a reasonable hour, I’d switch my laptop back on and put in a few extra hours.

Things shifted somewhat when I fell pregnant. While I made it a priority to be available to my team and clients during the early months of my pregnancy, I had to take it a bit easier and put my feet up as my due date approached. Of course deadlines were important, but nothing felt more important to me than the twins’ healthy development and well-being.