Happy Mother’s Day! Petit Tribe spotlights Lanre DaSilva Ajayi, Simi Esiri & Arese Ugwu

Nigerian-owned international children’s brand Petit Tribe is celebrating Mother’s Day today with a special feature on 3 mums. Uber mums Simi Esiri, Arese Ugwu and Lanre DaSilva Ajayi.

You can read the full features on the Petit Tribe website.

Simi Esiri
Lawyer, Stylist and mum of 1

A lot of first time mums are really worried about delivery, what would be your advice to them, as someone who recently went through the same experience?
Delivery is always different for everyone, but the first thing I’ll say is to worry less and pray more. For first mums, it’s the fear of the unknown that sometimes gets us rattled, having a positive attitude towards it will help and in the end, all will work out. Stay active especially in your last trimester, I spent my last month doing a lot of walking and swimming consistently till my water broke.

Having a child is a big lifestyle change, what is the biggest change having a baby has made?
The biggest change for me has got to be my sleep pattern! I can’t remember the last time I had eight hours of uninterrupted sleep but I truly wouldn’t have it any other way – children are such a blessing and they bring so much light into our lives.

If you had to think of one thing, what would you say is the most important value you want to pass on to your daughter?
I learnt how to be strong and compassionate from my mother, if I had to pick one to pass on to my daughter, it would be compassion – being able to put others before yourself says a lot about your character.

One recent article showed that a mum of two was addicted to her smartphone. Some people have criticised the ever-present need for technology in family life, others applaud convenience that technology has afforded to make life easier for mothers. What are your thoughts on this?
Technology has definitely made life easier for me. I keep in touch with my daughter, thanks to technology. I get to see everything – I wasn’t there the first time she crawled but my husband recorded it and I got to see it all on a video. That being said, being addicted to your phone isn’t ideal, it’s all about having a healthy balance.

If you were asked to choose an outfit for your child what would you choose and why?
I love my daughter in girly and bright outfits so I chose this matching two piece with gold detailing – the buttons stand out!

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Arese Ugwu
Finance expert, Mum of 1

How to effectively pitch a business, stress management, how to enhance your work, money talk, were on of the subjects of some workshops this month. Do you think these are problems affect women more?
Yes I do, I think women tend to second-guess themselves a bit more than men and to achieve success in business or life, whether its pitching a business idea, taking control of our money or selling a product we need a healthy amount of confidence, a belief that our dreams and goals are valid and that we have what it takes to make them happen. Plus, I think when you are a mother and or a wife and you’ve decided to have a career as well, you end up juggling much more than a man because, you have to constantly worry about being great at work and being great at home and that’s a difficult balance to find.

In today’s society the modern woman falls into one of the four categories: The juggler, the risk taker, the delegator, and the woman that puts her dream on hold to focus on family life. What category do you belong to?
I would say I’m definitely a blend between the juggler and the delegator. Some days I feel like superwoman because I’ve effectively done it all! Run a succession of great meetings, picked my daughter up from school, helped her with homework, bonded with her on an activity but other days I forgive myself for having to delegate pick up to my best friend, my mother or siblings so I can focus on acing a speaking engagement or crucial client meeting, which sometimes means I get home after bedtime. On those days I feel guilty for putting my career first and not effectively juggling everything myself but I’ve learned to forgive myself everyday, just focus on doing my best on a daily basis and leave the rest to God. However, I find that having a routine and a fantastic support system helps a lot.

Zikora, your lovely daughter frequently appears on your Instagram page. You seem to have a good relationship with her, what do you think is the secret to maintaining a close relationship with children?
We have a great relationship and she is honestly my best friend. I think like any other relationship, the key is good communication. We talk about everything, from her friends, school, food, cartoons, puzzles, party packs… and I try to stay in tune with the things that make her happy and she does the same. Zikora is the most affectionate child. She literally wakes me up with smiles and kisses every day. 8 out of 10 times the first words out of her mouth in the morning are ‘mummy, I love you good morning’. How do you not fall in love with that?

I encourage her to be inquisitive and ask questions, so she never just accepts anything as fact; she is constantly questioning me.

Her: ’ where are you going?’

Me: work

Her: why? * Followed by a rant about how I’m always going out and its not fair*

Me: do you like your new school? This house? Skittles and ice cream?

Her: Yes

Me: they cost money, so mummy has to work so she can make money.

Her: does that mean I have to work too when I’m a mummy?

Me: *blank stare*

Basically we have a great relationship because we talk and bond over even the smallest things.

If you had to think of one thing, what would you say is the most important value you want to pass on to your daughter?
Fearlessness, the innate belief that regardless of the obstacles that may come her way, she can achieve absolutely anything she wants to if she works hard and has a laser like focus on executing the vision she has for her life. Faith over fear!

If you were asked to choose an outfit for your child what would you choose and why?
She is such a girly girl, so anything playful and girly. To be honest I probably don’t have to choose for her because as she gets older, she’s very in tune with what she likes. I can’t tell you how many times she dictates to me and overrides my decisions on what she should wear to a party or play date. The girl is only 4 and a half but has her own sense of style already.

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Lanre DaSilva Ajayi
Designer, Mum of 2

You said in an interview recently, that you are a natural homemaker despite your passion for your creative work, which requires a lot of your time. Being a mother, a wife, and a working woman is admirable. People usually say that women have it harder because they are asked to juggle their work, their family, and their social life. How do you manage to combine it all?
It’s certainly is not easy finding a balance as a working woman, but I somehow make it work. With the help of my supportive husband, mum, sisters, and friends, they have made my work more smooth sailing for me to cope with the demanding fashion industry as well as carry out my responsibility as a wife and a mother to my children. I thank God.

Nowadays, there are so many social media pages dedicated to fashionable young children. As a mother and fashion designer, do you think that children could be the ones dictating trends in the near future?
Children will no doubt be the future leaders of tomorrow’s generation. As parents, we need to fulfil our responsibilities to lead, direct and guide our children in the right paths as they grow in this social media era.

Nowadays, children have a strong opinion of how they want to look. As a parent, you can say no every now and then to their style choices but then again you see their peers wearing the same styles and you re- think.

At the moment teenagers are setting fashion trends and that’s so exciting to see this level of creativity. Let’s enjoy their innocence in this age of social media and technology.

Being a full time mum and a fashion designer is a super power in itself, but if you could choose one super power what would it be?
It would be so awesome for me to have the superpower of Time Manipulation. I will get everything done quickly without time been an hindrance.
If you had to think of one thing, what would you say is the most important value you want to pass on to your children?
Self -confidence- is a value I will like my children to exude. A confident child is a happy child and able to deal with whatever life has in store.

If you were asked to choose an outfit for your child what would you choose and why?
For my daughter I will get her a party Dress. She looks lovely and pretty in Dresses. I will get a smart shirt and pair of trousers for my son that he can wear to functions as well.