Mother’s Day 2021 marks the second year in which mothers around the world are celebrating this holiday against a backdrop of pandemic uncertainty.

On this day, the world honours the mother of the family, as well as motherhood, maternal bonds and the influence of mothers in society. Pre-COVID, motherhood was already a daunting task, but the onset of modern pandemic-related challenges, especially for those mothers who occupy a dual professional role, has led women to reach new heights in terms of balance, determination and strength.

And, while everybody has had their justified moments of struggle since the onset of COVID, WhosWho.mt speaks with three mothers to celebrate their personal, professional and family achievements.

Elena Tortell – Advocate

Elena Tortell is a 26-year-old woman, soon to be wife and mother of Oliver, aged four. She graduated with a Bachelor of Laws Honours (LLB. (Hons.) in 2016 and subsequently with a Masters of Advocacy (M.Adv.) in 2017. Elena has been admitted to the Bar of Malta and the Superior Courts of Malta and has graduated with a Masters of Law (LLM) specializing in Corporate and Securities Law, having studied via correspondence with the University of London. She currently holds the position of assistant manager in one of the big four accountancy firms in Malta and is passionate about health, fitness and all things sports, dance, fashion and music-related.

As a mother, what do you identify as the greatest challenge to your day-to-day?

I would say the greatest challenge of my day to day routine is managing my time in the most optimal way. I have developed quite a good routine which allows me to prioritise different aspects of my life during different parts of my days. For instance, my early mornings are dedicated to my son and preparing him for school. Next, I do some house chores as there is no way I can focus on work knowing that my home is not organised. Having a clean home provides me with a strange inner peace (hah!). Once I sit down for work (from home, due to COVID), I won’t leave my desk until the workday is over. After work, I try to fit in a 45-minute workout and then cook, relax and spend time with my fiancé and son.

How has COVID-19 impacted the balance you strive to maintain between work, family and leisure?

From a working perspective, I've been working from home for over a year now due to COVID. I guess in terms of maintaining the balance between work, family and leisure, working from home has provided me with a bit more flexibility and life is a bit ‘calmer’, as I am not rushing everywhere like a madwoman. Homeschooling/virtual school was another story - it was tough!

Trying to keep a four-year old-boy focused while addressing work emails, calls etc was no easy feat. In fact, I soon realized that doing both simultaneously was not possible for me, so I would block off those three hours for virtual schooling and then extend my working hours later in the evening. With regards to leisure, of course, the weekends are the best time to relax together as a family. Until recently weekends and late evenings were dedicated to studying as I was sitting for a masters degree, but now that I have successfully completed the course, I love spending quality time with my family on the weekend.

What advice do you have to young working mothers out there struggling to cope?

Determination is key. Us women are SO strong and when we put our minds to something, I truly believe that we can make it happen. Prioritise, plan, ask for help from those who support you. I was 20 and still sitting through my law degree when I found out I was pregnant. While it was a shock and difficult to accept at first, I approached it as a challenge that I was determined to succeed in. Six years later, I have finished my law degree, obtained a master’s degree, have a professional career practising in law and have a beautiful, smart, kind boy whom I am so proud of, every day! 

Rebecca Bonnici – Owner & CEO of BELS

Rebecca Bonnici is a 40-year-old woman, proud wife and mother to Nina, nine, and Lily, seven. She is also the owner of two medium-sized English Language Schools and is passionate about exceeding client expectations and enabling people to better communicate through their mastery of the English language.

As a mother, what do you identify as the greatest challenge to your day-to-day?

Time management is an eternal battle and striving to achieve balance is my biggest struggle. How to juggle all the responsibilities that I have, to make sure I give each one the time and energy it needs. Never shortchanging the girls, or my husband, or my team – whilst also keeping myself in good enough health, both mentally and physically, in order to be able to cope with it all  

How has COVID-19 impacted the balance you strive to maintain between work, family and leisure?

Working from home, with the girls homeschooling, not being able to roam our islands freely. Home used to be where I could focus completely on our family, but with the prevention protocols of the virus closing our schools, our dining room became my office, the girls following lessons at the kitchen table and my husband working from our home office, our home became our whole universe.

Physical boundaries no longer existed, work time blended into family time and family time blended into me time. All in all, a hodge-podge of emotions, changed expectations and moving goalposts. I know the ‘new normal’ has become a cliché, however for us it meant the children understanding more about what exactly mummy’s work entailed, earning newfound respect for my children’s class teachers & most of all, learning that it was ok to show the human side to mummy to the girls. As the weeks became months it became impossible to hide my fears that my company may not actually survive the closures from the girls. My desperation at having to accept that no matter how much I had tried to prepare for a ‘rainy day’, the tsunami that actually came just might devastate everything we had built in its wake.

In the past I had worked so hard to ‘leave work at work’, and now, suddenly, work was at home and the children were always there. Always being brave, happy & having the answers was just not possible anymore. And so, we adapted, I changed and so did they, but I do need to say that I’m lucky too. My husband has been not only my rock but also the children’s, he has a job that allows him to be flexible and frankly if it weren’t for him I don’t think I would have got this far with this level of ‘sanity’. I use this term loosely, as frankly the meaning of this state of being, to me, has also changed in the past 14 months.  

What advice do you have to young working mothers out there struggling to cope?

On a personal level, don’t bite off more than you can chew, never try to live up to other people’s expectations of what a ‘good’ mother is & just do you, let the rest join in or leave. On a professional level, always be open & honest with your line manager about what’s concerning you about being a working mother and if you’re lucky s/he will be understanding and accommodating to combining your needs with the company’s ones, to strike a balance that works for you both.

Miriam Dalli – Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development

Miriam Dalli is the Minister for Energy, Enterprise and Sustainable Development having joined the Maltese Parliament following a highly successful six years in the European Parliament. She served as a Vice President of the Social Democrat (S&D) Group in the European Parliament where she coordinated the S&D’s position on the European Green Deal.

Dr Dalli is considered a "doer" and an "eco-warrior" by European influencers and was the only MEP listed in the Politico 28 Class of 2019. She is the mother of two gorgeous boys, Jack, seven, and Kane who just turned five! (8th May).

As a mother, what do you identify as the greatest challenge to your day-to-day?

As with any other working mother, the greatest challenge is balancing my work and family. It goes without saying that the job of a Minister brings with it various commitments. This means that even if it’s a weekend, in the evening or a public holiday… when issues arise, they need to be addressed there and then. I am sure that other parents can understand this. The balancing act is that it remains crucial to find not just time with my children and my husband, but this needs to be quality time.

How has COVID-19 impacted the balance you strive to maintain between work, family and leisure?

One way or another, COVID-19 has impacted everyone’s life. Whilst I still served as an MEP, COVID-19 allowed me to spend more time with my family because the EP switched to mostly remote working and that meant that my sons saw me conducting Group meetings or negotiating legislation from the kitchen table. Even during the past couple of months, I encouraged my staff to telework and to hold meetings online.

The fact that schools were closed meant that we had to oversee our children whilst they were doing their online learning... and with kids of such a young age, it can be quite challenging as many parents or guardians can attest to.

What advice do you have to young working mothers out there struggling to cope?

My advice is to hang in there. The reality is that you are not alone and it’s ok to feel like you are struggling. Impossible as it may seem, find those minutes during the day where it’s just about you – if it’s to take a cup of tea, go for a walk or read a book. Your daily commitments are to provide your children with a tomorrow that is better than you had. What we are doing today, is for their benefit tomorrow.