Most working mums will admit it’s difficult to balance their job with family duties.
But somehow, Christina Miller manages to juggle parenthood with being both a communications manager for a charity and a fashion and beauty content creator.
The 42-year-old from Broughty Ferry, who is mum to Nathan, eight, and Kittie, six, has over 25,000 followers on Instagram, where she shares outfit, makeup and skincare inspiration.
How does Broughty Ferry mum juggle parenthood with two jobs?
So, how does she fit it all in?
Christina, known as Christina Day Dreams online, says: “The thing is, Instagram is Instagram, and I don’t rely on it as the main part of my income – so if something has to slip, that’s what slips.
“It’s either Instagram or it’s something that I want to do for myself – for example, I try to get my 15,000 steps a day but if I have work, deadlines, kids, etc then I’ll let the steps or the cleaning go!
“Those are the sort of things that go first, because being a mum and my main employment and are the priorities.”
“Everything else comes after that.
“So as long as everything is going well at work and with my kids, then everything else can be done when I can fit it in.”
She says her 46-year-old husband Kris, a camera journalist, is also very supportive.
“And Kris is absolutely brilliant at pitching in around the house, and he’s an incredible dad to the kids, so he does a lot with them, and if I need a bit of time to do something, then he’s happy to help me do that.”
How did fashion influencer’s Instagram career begin?
Christina, who used to write freelance style content for the likes of Vogue, created her Instagram account shortly after setting up a fashion blog in 2010.
“I shared a lot of outfits, and there was a real sense of girls sharing their outfits at that time, and the hashtag ‘OOTD’ – outfit of the day – was a big thing then.
“So basically, that’s where it all began.”
In 2020, as her follower count steadily increased, her “labour of love” started to bring in some money with paid advertorials and brand partnerships.
Well-known clothing companies Christina has worked with include Sezane, LK Bennett, Bravissimo and Hobbs.
She also has partnerships with Tiger Lily Boutique in Broughty Ferry, Buchanan Galleries in Glasgow and make-up brand Trinny London.
Her children love getting involved in her content.
Her daughter Kittie even appeared in a ‘Galentine’s’ post, in collaboration with Boden, in February.
Christina says: “She wore a pink chiffon tutu dress and I wore a love heart dress, and we did a mum and daughter Galentine’s outfit video, which was really good fun.”
She adds: “She quite enjoys it when we’ve got matching or similar outfits.
“I don’t know how much longer that’s going to last!”
Kittie and Nathan also appear in “family day out” content here and there, including visits to the V&A, Dundee Science Centre and Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park.
Her husband is a little more camera-shy.
“The only time Kris gets involved is if I need someone behind the camera!” Christina says.
“So he’s very good at that. If I need something, then he’ll do it for me.
“He’s happy to be in content if we’re doing a day out or something.”
Does Christina worry about children’s safety when posting online?
Laughing, she adds: “If we go out for dinner, he’s used to me saying, ‘Don’t touch anything! Let me take a picture or video, and then you can eat.'”
We live in a world where influencers can be criticised for sharing their children online, with some arguing that this breaches their privacy or could even put them in danger.
Is this something Christina worries about?
“In general, I think it’s just about doing what feels right in the moment,” she says.
“A lot of my followers are regularly in touch with me, and it feels very much like a community.
“I’m very lucky that Instagram is a very positive place for me, and I kind of hope that that’s a reflection of what I try and put out on it.
“Social media can be such an awful place for a lot of people, but it does offer a lot of opportunity and connecting with communities, and I feel like that’s what I’ve created with my Instagram account.
“So I do feel safe enough to share my children on the internet occasionally. I don’t feel like that should be a bad thing.”
However, she has strict rules when it comes to her children’s access to technology.
Why Christina’s children aren’t allowed smartphones
“I very much don’t want my kids to have smartphones and social media of their own while they’re at primary school.
“I feel strongly about this Smartphone Free Childhood, and I think that’s possibly because I work in social media, that I’m kind of hyper aware of how, as an adult, it consumes my life at times.
“And I would like to avoid that for them for as long as possible.”
Christina also likes to use her platform to show the messy reality of being a busy working mum.
“People like to connect with you on a real level as well as the fun stuff,” she explains.
“Whether that is sharing real life as a mum, or if I’m having one of those days where it’s a lot – I try and share the real side of life too.
“I may share that we’ve been to Blair Drummond Safari and Adventure Park and it was amazing.
“Or I might post: ‘I have so much washing to do after the holiday. Who else knows that feeling?’
“I’ll share that kind of stuff.”
Would she ever give up the day job to become a full-time content creator?
“The idea of being my own boss and having the flexibility appeals hugely because of having a young family,” she says.
Would Christina ever become a full-time influencer?
“But working for a charity is a very rewarding job, and I think that as much as I love Instagram, it already consumes me.
“And to be a full-time influencer must carry with it a lot of pressure, in terms of financial responsibility.
“It’s maybe something that I would pursue later on, but I think at this time in my life, I’m happy having the security of a corporate day job, while also getting the joy of the creativity that comes with content creation.”
It sounds like the best of both worlds.
- Is your family a little bit different? Get in touch poppy.watson@dcthomson.co.uk
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