Recording your Children’s Milestones
We caught up with Kerin the founder of Peachly and chatted all things memory keeping, motherhood and business:
I’m naturally curious and sentimental. When I came across the baby book my mum filled out for me I noticed that there were so many prompts that she didn’t fill out. I think this was because they required too much detail or were irrelevant, and it eventually became a chore for her to fill out.
There is something so authentic and sentimental about writing down your memories and sticking photos into a book by hand. You’re hand writing something rather than typing it, and you’re having to hand stick photos into a book rather than dragging and dropping files into a virtual folder – but I think this is so great because it gives you more time to experience emotions relating to the memory you are recording.
Those first few years of being a mum are crazy busy. Over time everything becomes a blur and no matter how good your memory is I can guarantee you will forget so many things along the way; things that you want to remember but just don’t have anywhere to jot them down. I think it’s so important to have a go-to place where you can record these precious memories, and when the time comes to be able to look back and share these beautiful memories together with your child. This kind of bonding experience is something you just can’t put a price tag on.
My focus is not just memory recording, it’s also on memory making. I wanted to create something for people to announce their pregnancies to their family and friends in a way that was unique and would be memorable for years to come. Plus there are people out there who find it awkward to just bring up their announcement mid-conversation. Our scratchies make it that much easier for people who don’t want to have to go through the awkwardness.
Every baby is different – some are easy as newborns and others aren’t. And there are days where everything goes downhill and you aren’t enjoying those moments. It’s totally OK to feel lousy on these days and it doesn’t mean you are a bad mother. Having people tell me that I should ‘enjoy every moment’ just made me feel guilty during these times.
The Sunshine Coast can feel small when you are starting a business. I would tell new businesses to think bigger – take advantage of the online resources we have at our fingertips and to sell internationally. There are so many platforms that connect small businesses to customers all over the world – be it Amazon, Ebay, Etsy, your own website – use these to your advantage.
Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than by the things you did. Life is short. And can be sweet. Make memories and record them so you can keep enjoying them.
Kerin is a mum of two girls and the founder of Peachly – a brand that fuses gorgeous, modern designs with traditional baby products. Shop their best selling baby milestone books, pregnancy announcement scratchies, swaddles, and more at www.peachly.com.au