MOTHER LOVE: VERENA PAUSDER
When I first moved to Berlin, I met Verena and Philipp at a running dinner. I was taken in by her warm smile and charmed by here great and straight forward personality. Since the inception of Wunderhaus Verena has supported me on my endeavor to build a supportive community for mothers. Today we are fast friends who easily pick up where ever we have left off and connect comfortably. To be honest I have been a great admirer of Verena she has been the biggest inspiration to me as a shrew business woman and as a Mother who has worn various hats through motherhood. Single mother, step mother, patchwork mother and most recently dog mother :) Through it all she has done it with beauty and grace. I am beyond excited to share my first inspiring Mom for Mother’s Day!
BY SHIRLEY ERSKINE-SCHREYER
Wunder Stories What is your favorite way to spend Mother's Day?
Verena Pausder My favorite way is to spend the day with my husband and kids. We have the ritual that when I wake up the kids have made breakfast and have prepared little presents for me. Afterwards we do something nice together. This year we have rented a boat and will spend the day on the Spree in Berlin. I am so looking forward to so much quality time together!
WS What is the best Mother's Day gift you have received?
VP Letters from my kids in which they wrote down or drew everything they like about me. I keep them in the drawer of my desk and look at them every now and then.
“The fact that happiness doubles, triples, quadruples when you have kids”
WS What is your favorite thing about being a Mother?
VP The fact that happiness doubles, triples, quadruples when you have kids. Things I do have more meaning, memories we make are more valuable, the time we spend together is more precious and what I learn from my kids makes me a better person.
WS How do you manage the mommy and me time with your children?
VP I try to balance both carefully. When I have dedicated time with my kids everything else is less important, I don´t pick up the phone, I am not on social media, I really try to be there - physically and mentally. Early in the morning, at night or when they are in school and kita, I plan me time and try to give this time the same priority as an important business appointment or time with my kids.
WS How do you balance work and motherhood?
VP By separating both pretty strictly. When I work, I work and when I am home, I am home. Of course my kids can always reach me and there is always a second, third, fourth stream in my head thinking where they are, what they are doing and whether they need my help. But my kids know that when I am working it has to be important if they interrupt me and when I am with them, work has to be very important if it interrupts our time together.
