All posts by Anne Waters

About Anne Waters

Anne is a wife, mother and career woman. She is married to Gary and has 3 children. She grew up in Scotland and went to Edinburgh University where she got an MA in Japanese. She moved to London after University and spent the next 10 years working for various Japanese and American companies using her Japanese and gaining valuable business skills. It was in London that Anne met Gary and decided to get married and have children. After their second child was born, they moved to Durban in South Africa, where they live now and where Gary is from originally. Their third child was born in South Africa. Anne is now able to be a full time mother to their three children, whilst teaching Japanese and English as a Foreign Language during the hours the children are at school. Anne was raised in the Church of Scotland and came to the New Church through marriage and has spent the last 7 years in South Africa delving deeper into the writings of the New Church with the support, love and friendship of other like-minded women in the New Church in Westville.

The Stories We Tell Ourselves

Article

I have spent time over the years learning more about myself and those around me from a relationship management perspective. First of all because it was my job and then because I wanted a better and more fulfilling relationship with my husband and with my children too.

In that journey, I learned about ‘Personality Types’. The four types are classified in a few different ways, but in short are:

  • Choleric/ Dominance (outgoing/task oriented)
  • Sanguine/ Influencer (outgoing/ people-oriented)
  • Phlegmatic/ Steadiness (reserved/ people-oriented)
  • Melancholic/ Conscientious (reserved/ task-oriented)

I determined that my husband, who is an architect and very creative person, is reserved and hugely task oriented (Melancholic). I learned that he can lean on the more pessimistic (cautious) side of life and that has perfectionist tendencies. However, he is organised, self-reliant, independent, detailed and incredibly loyal.
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Asking For Help

Article

I spend much of my day worrying. Worrying about my children; worrying about my husband; worrying about work; worrying about not having washed the dishes; worrying about the state of the world, the country I live in and the political situation and how it affects me and my family.

I need to look at the bigger picture and realise that it is not just about me.

Sometimes all I need to do is ask for help. Sometimes I just need to stop! Sometimes I just need to pray. Sometimes I forget that there is something bigger than me, something out there that can help me and protect me, guide me and will take on all those things that I worry about – The Lord.
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The Art of Playing

Article

I heard a comment the other day whilst we were visiting the dentist that made me smile. My eldest daughter has a plate and was there for her regular checkup. The younger two children were with me in the waiting room playing happily with a bunch of mismatched toys that the dentist had in a box. The random dinosaurs, army men and astronauts with missing limbs combined with the ill-fitting lego pieces didn’t seem to deter them from the imaginary world they then created in the waiting room.

The dentist appeared with Rebecca to explain the next steps, only to be interrupted by my littlest daughter asking the dentist if he could “please move over”. Her armless army man was attempting to climb the reception desk and the dentist was standing in the way. He looked down at her and then at my son and commented that it is so refreshing to see children playing in his waiting room rather than stuck in front of a phone or tablet or some other electronic device. He had forgotten what it was like to watch children ‘playing’.
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Roles of a Woman: Careers & Children

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In writing this article about the role of a woman as a mother and as a career woman, I didn’t realise how much “stuff” it would dig up for me: “stuff” I am dealing with from the decision to have children, balancing that with my career, and then choosing to stay at home and assume the responsibilities that come with that.

For some, the decision to have children, to have a career, or to have both is clear. Some might ask, “What’s the big deal?”

For some, financial necessity makes it a non-decision. It has to be done and women find a way to make it work and balance out to the best of our abilities. For those who have the choice, like myself, finding the balance between having a career and raising children is not always so clear-cut, especially emotionally.

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