A Chat About Motherhood: Bekah Glass
As a way to celebrate Mother’s Day this year, we decided to ask our own TEAm here at Millennia Tea what being a mother means to them. This year looks so different for all of us, so it was a lot of fun and very meaningful for us to put words to our most cherished role : “MOM”.
We hope you enjoy and feel like this helps you get to know some faces behind our FRESH TEA brand a little more.
Happy Mother’s Day to you and yours. We appreciate you all so much!
So happy to introduce you to Bekah Glass! Bekah handles marketing, creative and loves to talk about fonts, design, reality television and her attempt at gardening.
Tell us a little about yourself:
Hi y’all! I’m Bekah. I’m a southern belle originally from Arkansas, who married an Aussie and has 2 kids who are Canadian! Are you confused yet? Because I am most days. My hubby and I have lived in Canada now for almost 7 years and we love it! Our 2 boys are Oliver (5) and Silas (17 months) and we also somehow ended up with 2 kitties who we lovingly named after 2 of my fave country musicians: Conway Kitty and Dolly Purrrrton.
Tell us about your journey in motherhood.
I had always wanted to be a mother. Or, I loved the idea at least. However, I was definitely not prepared or “ready” once it happened. Are you ever? I like to assure myself that no one is every fully prepared. That may be an excuse to make my own insecurities feel less severe, but it works so I go with it.
My husband and I fell in love in a whirlwind long distance relationship between Calgary, Alberta and NYC. I was having the time of my life living in the Big Apple when we found out we were expecting our first child. We were so excited and caught up in love that we sort of just decided to wing it and not stress about logistics (ya know – an international move, visa applications, those sort of small “details”). But we made it work. Our first son completely changed my (our) life. I honestly think I am a totally different person now. It’s been an amazing journey so far and 5 years later, we had our 2nd boy!
To tell you the truth, I still feel like we wing it most days. I’ve settled into the learnings that I have no clue what I am doing and that’s perfectly fine. Things have been crazy, scary, chaotic, messy, incredible, refining and life-changing. “Mommy” is my favorite piece of this puzzle we’ve built so far.
Tell us how becoming a mother changed you.
Becoming a mother has changed me in bigger ways than anything so far. The most life-altering thing it has done is focus the lens on my selfishness. I am an only child and wildly independent. Almost to a fault. I love my alone time. I like to make my own schedule. I had always liked to make my own rules. This is something people love about me, but also struggle with when it comes to relationships with me. It’s also something I struggle with personally. I don’t always love this quality of mine.
Becoming a mother has made this quality stand out like a sore thumb. I have zero option for this part of me to take center stage anymore. I have to actively work on it daily and I’ve had to CHOOSE to grow in this area. I want my children and husband to come first and they do, but I have had to find new ways to take care of my own needs. I’ve had to create new ways to refuel or get some time to myself to fill back up my tank.
It’s a balancing act or a “dance” as I like to call it – to put my selfishness aside for my family but also care for myself in ways I know that I need.
What is the hardest part of juggling work and motherhood?
Early in my career as a mother, I REALLY struggled with balance. I like to go 100 miles an hour at everything I do and I burn out quickly. When I do that – everything suffers. I really struggled to do anything WELL, because I was trying to do EVERYTHING well. While I was pregnant with my 2nd child and working, I heard and fully adopted some very good advice : “when you are at work, be 100% present. When you come home, be 100% present.” This made so much sense to me and was something I could commit to.
Until quarantine…now all bets are off.
The main thing I try to do now is be realistic with expectations at work and with my family. If I can’t follow-through with something I’ve promised, I try really hard to communicate that. I am also a lot kinder to myself than I was when I was a bit younger. I know now that I am not perfect, so I just don’t pretend to be. I think being honest and doing what you can to the best of your ability is always better than over promising and under-delivering.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever received on parenting?
“Instead of teaching our children to never disappoint us – let’s teach them to never disappoint themselves.”
I read this on a social media post from one of my favorite authors, Glennon Doyle, and it resonated SO MUCH with me. I was raised to be a perfectionist, to be a “good girl”. In the South, it’s just the way we are raised. This taught me to perform as a people pleaser. It caused me to hide my voice, real opinion or true emotions or feelings. It probably kept me out of a lot of trouble, but it made me hide because I always wanted others to be proud of me. I hid a lot actually.
I want to teach my children to believe in themselves, love themselves wildly and to be true to that always. I want them to be proud of themselves before they EVER worry if their daddy and I are proud of them! (because we will be, I promise you that.)
Tell us the ways you fuel your family’s health and wellness?
We stay very active! We love to go on family walks every night after supper and we hike, bike or explore almost every weekend, no matter the weather! I love to cook and we rarely eat out. It’s tough because my 5 year old is a very picky eater, so I’m really trying to teach him about WHY we want to eat healthy and WHY we want to fuel our bodies with natural and healthy foods. One way I’ve gotten him interested is by planting seedlings this year to grow some of our own veggies and herbs. He has PROMISED me that he will try everything we grow…I won’t hold my breath. I try to prepare and present healthy options at every meal and give my kids grace. Pizza on Friday’s and ice cream on the weekends are just as important around here as our daily veggies. I want our kids to have a true understanding and appreciation around health and exercise. I also want them to ENJOY both. So I’m okay with a little give and take ;)
What’s your favorite way to spend quality time with your children?
Quality Time is my love language. I crave it and need it. My favorite thing to do right now with my kids is play outside and watch them form their own hobbies and interests. My kids are still little, so not “planning” or scheduling a ton on the weekends has quickly become a way to cultivate really good time together. We just “go where the day takes us” and try to enjoy the time together.
Another way – is traveling to see our families in Arkansas or Australia. I love family time and ours are both so far away, so I truly cherish that myself and for our family as a whole.
What’s your kid’s favorite meal you prepare?
My kids? Macaroni and Cheese …
3 words your kids would use to describe you?
Probably silly, loud, and “mama” (that’s the only word Silas knows)
What are you currently listening to?
I love different types of music. The playlist we listen to most in our house is “Happy Folk” on Spotify. We also listen to a lot of Classics: Fleetwood Mac, Queen, Cat Stevens, James Taylor. And any 80’s-90’s country music (my husband has been a slow convert, but he is a fan now!) Randy Travis is my top pick!
Currently binge watching or reading?
Watching: WACO and Outer Banks on Netflix, 90 Day Fiance, and Parenthood as our easy go-to.
Reading: Untamed by Glennon Doyle
Who inspires you?
-My mom. Everyday.
My grandmother “Mamaw” – she’s 90 and still dances 2-3 nights a week (or did before we all were in quarantine). She’s fun!
-My husband. I’ve been with him for over 7 years and have never heard him talk badly about another person. EVER. I want to be more like that.
Favorite type of gift to receive from your kids?
Time, snuggles and hand-written/drawn cards or pictures!
What’s your fave preparation method of Millennia TEA to fuel your family’s wellness?
I drink our FRESH TEA every day hot. I also make my Southern Sweet TEA with Millennia Tea now J My kids and husband have the cubes in smoothies and I add it into my pasta sauce, bone broth and soups. Kinda like Franks Hot Sauce : I add it into everything! ;)
