Business Fit Magazine Special Editions Mother & Daughter Special Edition | Page 30

the children is always challenging as my average
day is pledged before I start. Now they are both
away at school finding time becomes a priority
when they are back here on holiday three times
a year. Last year Allen and I planned a few special
days over Christmas where they would have us
all to themselves– this can be quite hard for Allen
as PM! Whilst it is doubtful I achieve balance in all
things, I do spend every day trying. What
challenges
do
you
encounter with her being so far
away at school? And how do you
deal with them?
Tell us about your relationship
with Rhyan. The advancements in technology since I was a
student are remarkable and it is amazing that we
can see each other through FaceTime and speak
as often as we want but it is still a poor substitute
for actually being together. As busy as we are, we
try to call or message the kids at least once a day
although it’s not always possible.
Rhyan is an amazing girl, loving, kind and
thoughtful but she can be very difficult at times
to parent because she has always thought of
herself as a grown up even when she was very
little and she is incredibly headstrong. When she
gets a bee in her bonnet there is no deterring
her.
We are very close but she has a particular dislike
of the word “no” and a very strong sense of
what she wants, so at times we have a few go-
rounds and as she is in the midst of the teen
years, I expect there will be more of that but
once I explain what my concerns are about the
particular issue, for the most part she will come
around. However, she does have a remarkable
way of convincing you to let her do things you
have forbidden her from doing – when she was
little we used to call her “Foxy Loxy” because she
was so crafty in coming up with ways to get us to
do what she wanted.
Rhyan is really growing up to be a wonderful
young woman - bright, resourceful, can talk
her way out of anything, an amazing daughter,
granddaughter and friend. She loves people,
has a passion for drama and cares deeply about
animals and the environment. Having grown up
in a political environment she is very interested in
international politics and whatever’s happening
on the world stage. I don’t know in which field
she will end up, but we know she will make us
proud whatever she does. My bet has always
been politics, but Allen feels sure I will lose that
bet. Time will tell.
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The real challenge is missing out on so much
time with her (and with our son Braden) which
you can never get back. Missing out on moments
and times of significance which you sometimes
find out about after they have happened.
Follow your
passion in all
that you do
There are many times that I second guess our
decision to send them away but we are getting
less and less quality time with them here, as
evenings and weekends are often filled with
engagements and commitments, so it only made
sense to send them into an environment where
they could get more supervision and structure
than we were able to offer.
Tell us about a time you and
your daughter haven’t got on
and how you resolved it.
Our relationship is not perfect but honestly, we
have never had a situation we have not been
able to resolve. Sometimes I have had to call for
the heavy-duty artillery and called in Allen for
backup if I feel I am losing an argument with her
but generally Rhyan and I get along well.
She is just starting to angle for a bit more freedom
and went to her first concert a few weeks ago with
a friend from school. At first I told her she couldn’t
go. Then she convinced her father that it was not
far from school and it was “only a folk concert” as
if to suggest that a folk concert would intrinsically
be a safer environment than any other concert.
Anyway, we agreed but I made her swear she
would call me when the taxi dropped her off,
when she got inside, when she got outside, when
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