"Motherhood has given me a lot of strength and determination, I have gained a lot of confidence in myself."

Without a doubt. Many of the convictions and plans of those who had collapsed due to different circumstances. Thanks to motherhood I have become a much more understanding and tolerant person. It would never occur to me to judge and/or value the work of a mother. Each family should do what makes them happy regardless of what they feel. I always had a maternal instinct, although my thoughts did not go beyond the infinite love that being a mom should feel. But from the moment you get pregnant that begins to change and continues to change constantly to this day: motherhood is unconditional love and constant sacrifice, it is automatically starting to think of another person rather than yourself, putting their well-being first. to anything.

Well, the basis of everything is Gus: the luck of my life, the best partner and the best dad. Thanks to him the organization at home is so good and thanks to him I can allow myself to work at such an important level of hours and involvement. Due to his shifts, he spends a lot of time at home and that time is dedicated to Julia and to carrying the weight of our home. Fortunately, I can free myself from most of the weight of the house and dedicate myself to developing professionally.

At first I worked part-time at a job I wasn't happy with. I left it. Although I spent my moments of anguish before the abyss of "now what?" soon new projects arrived (and practically all at once!). I only spent a few weeks without working until I launched my own project. Almost at the same time I received the offer to work at the school and at no time did I contemplate the possibility of rejecting it. So for a year I have been combining my work at the school as a guidance counselor with everything that being a woman, self-employed, entrepreneur and mother implies.

The weeks are a bit crazy and there have been difficult days, but Gus and Julia make everything bearable. We have the long weekend (from Friday) to be together and at school they are very understanding when it comes to reconciling. I am very lucky to be able to work at this level and still feel present at home.

Lua&Lee: Thanks to Marta from @redwoodbird we know that you are a pedagogue and that you work as a counselor in an alternative pedagogy school… What is this alternative pedagogy?

When we talk about alternative pedagogy, in my case at least, I think of a non-conformist education, which is not resigned to accepting what is imposed by the system...which arises from the need to cover emotional and cultural needs different from what it comes “as standard”… it wants to evolve and grow and is changeable just like the human being. A respectful education, that listens to people and families trying to adapt to them and that has the firm purpose of working in an integral way with the child and everything that surrounds him/her without judging or labeling.

I always had a maternal instinct and I've lived surrounded by boys and girls, I've always had a hand with them, but I got to the Pedagogy degree almost by rebound (before I tried Law). The first year I was not enthusiastic, but the second came and our trip to O'Pelouro, where we met a pioneering center in terms of alternative pedagogy. Right there I was transformed, at that moment I thought and I think that this is true education. Since then I no longer understood it in any other way, and all the readings, authors, works and the general approach in my studies were marked by the critical spirit and the new pedagogies that stirred the world. In addition, I have been lucky enough to do internships at the Art Center of the Universidad Laboral de Gijón and to meet people and experiences that have enriched me greatly. Soon I jumped into the pool sending proposals for activities to the school where I am now and I experienced a very beautiful previous stage (about 8 years ago) that taught me a lot about this type of education.

Thanks to being a mother, I have learned to set limits (not as many as I would like) and to dose my energies away from home. And undoubtedly, my level of empathy has grown and continues to grow daily with families and moms.

It has helped me gain empathy and understanding and has helped me set more limits and take better care of myself at work. On a practical level, I tend to draw on my own experiences as a mother to understand what other mothers feel and be able to guide them, although as I say, each family is different and so are their needs.

On the other hand, you always think about finding the balance between giving everything you can to prosper professionally and coming home with strength and desire to be with Julia and enjoy our time. It's complicated. The feeling of guilt always accompanies you and of not reaching everything, of doing everything halfway. But motherhood has influenced this, in thinking that “it is what it is” and it is not worth gloating in difficult moments; You have to breathe and go back. Accept as far as you go and don't punish yourself.

Lua&Lee: Tell us about your role in helping families with children who have learning disabilities? Is it important for the whole family to get involved in the treatment?

It's just that you can't work any other way; If the family is not involved, it is impossible to advance and improve in a healthy and orderly way. We listen to the families, carry out the relevant diagnostic assessment if required, and accompany them in the intervention process. We work comprehensively and, as long as the family agrees, we maintain permanent and fluid communication with the children's school. We do not label. We work always prioritizing emotions; We respect the times of each little one and we start from their strengths to empower them and help them gain in self-esteem and security with the firm intention that children and families become autonomous and decisive. We do not understand our work without providing love and respect.

Without a doubt. There is no debate possible 😉 you always internalize and learn what you love, what you have fun with, what you like and what makes you happy. This is how you develop as a person and this is how you evolve and grow. Without a doubt, there are learnings that are necessary, even if they are tedious. The key is to find a way to reach our little ones (and not so little ones) to awaken in them the necessary interest to enjoy learning.