Even when I was a mere 21-year-old, fresh out of college and just beginning my process of working off buying The Craft Studio, people have looked at me in bewilderment over the fact that I was childless. How can a non-mother own a kids business? To many people, it just didn’t add up. Most commonly people were flabbergasted I would chose to work with kids without having to be around them by mother demand (and most of these comments came from actual mothers). I often heard: “You chose to be around the tears and tantrums?” To which I would giggle and profess my genuine and honest love of children.
Many of my clients encouraged me to have a child as soon as I got married saying it would only “legitimize” me and make moms want to support my business even more. I even heard that it was “weird” I didn’t have a baby yet. It was hard for me to imagine taking care of a baby when I had The Craft Studio “baby” already to take care of. Although I always knew that a baby was something I wanted in life, how could I balance owning a small business and working crazy hours with being someone’s mom?
It took four years of marriage for my husband and I to get there but now here we are expecting our first child and one of the best parts has been getting to tell all my clients who have been waiting and wondering if and when this was going to happen. The reactions have only been encouraging, amazing, and kind beyond belief. It’s moments like these when I think about how NYC really is an amazing place and community to be a part of. Growing up in a small town often our friends and family wonder how we connect and feel “at home” in such a big congested place. Let alone even think about raising a family here. The start of my motherhood journey has only shown me just how much I feel a sense of community in NYC and feel so excited to bring up a child in this amazing place.
People who have caught wind of the news have e-mailed, stopped in, and told me that the whole UES is behind me. If that doesn’t make you feel at home in a place, I don’t know what does! I feel so excited for my baby to be born into such warmth, and happy anticipation that my nerves of impending motherhood are calmed by all the wonderful clients and former clients who have wished me well and offered encouraging words. Maybe the reason people were flabbergasted I didn’t have a baby yet was because they saw good mommy potential in me all along? Regardless the past few weeks of spreading my news has made four months of pregnancy sickness and stress melt away. If these amazing women, men, dads, and moms think I can do it and support me…how can I go wrong?
Lindsey Peers is the owner of The Craft Studio.
