Mother’s Day Feature: On Modern Moms

As a company, we strive to grow lifestyle products that focus on the modern mom and baby. This Mother’s Day, we go behind-the-scenes to get some secrets on what it means to be a modern mom, and how she re-defines success for herself.

Who is the modern mom today? Can we even define her?

As women, we're constantly being defined by the different roles we play. As mothers, wives, mentors and entrepreneurs, we work hard to create communities, homes and partnerships with our families and the people around us. We do this all, and then some. 

But what does it mean to work toward being a mom today? How have your values evolved since you've become one? How have you built your communities, and how have your partners played a role in creating a space where you feel empowered to be your best self in all these roles?

As a company, we strive to build microbrands that cater to the modern mom and baby. With a range of unique and accessible products suited for contemporary life, we believe that there is huge potential in supporting the growing and diverse lifestyles and personal journeys of the modern mom and baby today.

And because it’s Mother’s Day, we go behind the scenes to meet the unspoken heroes of Rainforest - our co-founders' wives - to uncover their secrets and some secrets of their own about our founders as dads (complete with scorecards!) :) 

Disclaimer: 

Yes, we know this is just a fraction of what we should expect fathers to do in support of their partners! But we couldn't waste this opportunity to put our co-founders on the spot :)

From Zoe, JJ’s wife

1. What does being a modern mom mean to you? Any advice to other mothers out there?

Being a modern mom means having access to an incredible amount of information and opinions, sometimes recommending different things. The challenge is in making that value judgement as to what’s the best for your family, whether it’s in regards to feeding, sleep schedules, screen time, external classes, parenting styles or working vs. staying at home. And at some points you can consciously decide to raise your kids a different way to how you or those around you were raised - you no longer need to default to “how it’s always been”. 

Advice to other moms (and dads): I often think of this line: “The problem is, you think you have time.” If something is important you need to carve out the time for it. Time with family is also an important and urgent task. 

2. Rate JJ out of 10 on the following:

Being a caring and supportive partner 10/10

Feeding the kids 10/10 

Remembering the kids’ schedules - 5/10 but 10/10 as long as it’s in his calendar

Putting the toilet seat back down - 10/10

Changing diapers - 10/10

Remembering birthdays and anniversaries -10/10 thanks to recurring calendar entries and helpful EDMs from Far East Flora

Attending parent teacher meetings - 5/10. I try to pass him the PTM with the Chinese teachers but they end up speaking English anyway. 

Helping with the kids’ homework - 10/10. He loves spending time with them this way, probably taking after how his dad took the time to tutor JJ himself too.

From Stephanie, Jason’s wife 

1. What does being a modern mom mean to you? Any advice to other mothers out there?

A modern mom values her partner and child as much as herself. So she knows when and how to pamper herself. Mom guilt is real but it’s important to focus on yourself before you can focus and take great care of others. 

Use technology to your advantage and train your child to be tech-savvy too. If you don’t know anything or forget everything, just GOOGLE or go to your SUPPORT GROUPS called Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest and always lead with LOVE. 

Find ways to feel more beautiful inside out, to relax and recharge. I signed up Gmail for my son as soon as we settled on a name and email him every month about all the important milestones, achievements and every other happenings with lots and lots of photos and videos taken with my phone. I even maintain his social media presence and has a designated hashtag for #FighterRyu . It’s my way to make me feel good and to remind myself that I’ve done great things raising a cheeky and kind little human.  

Advice to other moms? 🤔 We can only do what we can, and that is more than good enough for our children.  Cut ourselves some slack and remember that we’re doing an awesome job even when it doesn’t seem like it. After all, this modern motherhood is tough.

Listen to your gut and trust your intuition. If you believe something is wrong, it most likely is and if something is working well for your child and you, continue to do it. Let your mother instincts kick in! 

And L❤️VE Yourself More.

2. Rate Jason out of 10 on the following:

Being a caring and supportive partner: 9/10

Feeding the kids: 9/10

Remembering the kids’ schedules: 5/10

Putting the toilet seat back down: 5/10

Changing diapers: 7/10

Remembering birthdays and anniversaries: 10/10 

Attending parent teacher meetings: 10/10

Helping with the kids’ homework: 7/10

From Karolina, Per-Ola’s wife

1. What does being a modern mom mean to you? Any advice to other mothers out there?

To me, a modern mom is a person who is well-informed, well-connected (hello online communities!), and tech-savvy (there’s an app for everything). Modern moms want to be a mother and still fulfill themselves professionally and pursue their passions. I feel very grateful that as a mom, I have access to instant information, online groups, and great kids’ products from all over the world.

Advice to other mothers out there:

Have a bit of distance to the things you see and read online, or hear from other parents. As a modern mom, it can be overwhelming with all the available information, and be pressured to do it all - be a great mother, partner, employee, and a self-fulfilled human being. It’s important to define your priorities and know there will be periods when things are out of balance, and that’s ok.

2. Rate Per-Ola out of 10 on the following:

Being a caring and supportive partner 10/10

Feeding the kids 7/10

Remembering the kids’ schedules 5/10 (room for improvement)

Putting the toilet seat back down 10/10

Changing diapers 8/10

Remembering birthdays and anniversaries 7/10

Attending parent teacher meetings N/A (yet)

Helping with the kids’ homework N/A but for 10/10 for playing, and other activities with our son