A mother & a business owner
Columnist and small business owner Renee Diaz, with her daughter Roslyn Ana Diaz
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On Jan. 8, 2022 at 8:50 p.m., Roslyn Ana Diaz entered the world with big blue eyes and a full head of hair, changing our lives forever. Becoming a mother is an experience like no other, putting life into perspective in a way that is hard to describe. It has made me love harder, understand more, and forgive easily. It has also ignited a new fire in me when it comes to being a business owner and entrepreneur. In the most cliché way ever, becoming a mother has been the best thing that has ever happened to me.
I felt fortunate to be able to take a maternity leave to be with my baby and have the time for the both of us to get to know each other, knowing not everyone unfortunately gets that opportunity. The beginning is a blur: recovering from labor, acclimating myself to her sleep patterns, breastfeeding (which is a full-time job!) and realizing leaving the house takes much longer than it did before. Watching her grow over those months was such an experience. She was changing and growing right in front of me, every day. In the same token, I was growing and changing in front of her, too. During those months together, I found myself wondering what I wanted her to grow up and learn from me, being conscious of how I treat and speak to myself and those around me. I imagine her growing up alongside me and my employees in the bakery. I hope she sees a hardworking mom, who is creative and innovative, treats people with kindness, and has compassion. I hope she sees her mother employs people with the same outlook in life, who work as if it were their names on the front of the building.
Despite the world that surrounds us and the sadness we see daily, I hope she can stop and appreciate the little things in life. When she visits the bakery, I hope she notices the fresh flowers on the tables, the craft that goes into the items baked daily, the lasting impact that her Papa and Mimi have had on the business. I hope she sees the long days, knowing her mother’s employees wake up in the early morning hours to ensure that The Queen’s Cups succeeds. I hope she listens to the stories from employees, past and present, about the good times, bad times, and hilarious times we have had in the shop. I want her to join in on those early morning and late evenings when she is old enough, just as I did with her Papa when I was young. I pray she has a passion for working with local charities, just as The Queen’s Cups does.
In retrospect, my hopes are I can tell her about the times we had together before I went back to work. How when she was born and they handed her to me, I couldn’t believe the head of hair that she had. When they weighed her in the delivery room and told us that she was 6 pounds 11.5 ounces, I laughed out loud because they told me throughout my pregnancy she was going to be 8.5 pounds. I want to tell her about the first time she visited the bakery and met all the staff; it was the first day that her Papa held her. I want to share with her how excited her mother’s employees were to meet her. I want to let her know her Auntie Eva, mom’s general manager at the shop, left her balloons on her desk with a sign on her first day back, welcoming me back to work. I want to let her know she made me happier, she made me realize the beauty in the little things in life like making the perfect amount of frosting for cupcakes, seeing tulips in the front yard for the first time during the spring, and successfully walking her and the dog together by myself. I hope to show her the importance of supporting small businesses and keeping your money local as much as you can. My dream is she is creative, focused, and compassionate to others. Every day, I tell her about my hopes for her future, and I can only pray she is listening.
Becoming a mother has been rewarding, difficult, and inspiring. Going back to work has brought on a variety of emotions, but it has also sparked my creativity, made me more appreciative of those who work for me, and make me want to work toward paving the way for her and everyone else I can inspire. She won’t remember these times, but I will. I would not trade these memories for anything.
Renee Diaz is the owner of Worcester bakery The Queen's Cups.
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