Anna Ganzinelli: "Being a mother turns your life upside down; it is intense and exhausting"

Our home is a beautiful chaos. There is always something going on: a little game in the hallway...

Do they play soccer in the hallway?

— With a ball of clothes, mind you... Or someone doing homework in the dining room... Someone else in the kitchen making muffins... And three children talking to me at the same time. Sometimes it's exhausting, especially when you arrive tired from work. But it is a very cheerful house, and I love that.

How does any given day start?

— Without realizing it, we have been perfecting the routine. My husband wakes them up and takes care of breakfast, I prepare the fruit and the sandwiches they will take with them. Luckily, the older ones are already quite independent. Since September, we only take the youngest one to school. The day I realized it, I was struck. We live at a frantic pace, yes. I often realize that the phrases I repeat the most are: come on, we're late; come on, get dressed; come on, go take a shower; come on, go to sleep...

And Saturdays, like today?

— Saturday mornings we sometimes have to run around more than during the week, because all three of them have games, either soccer or volleyball. Sometimes I curse it, especially in winter, and I miss those quiet Saturdays of coffee and newspapers at home. But I like that they play sports and I enjoy the time chatting with other families while we watch them play. It is nice to make new friends thanks to our children.

In what way is betevé present in your day-to-day life?

— Inevitably, betevé is quite present. The children use it as a reference. For example, when we want to see what the weather will be like, we check the app. Or when I show them some video we have made on social media. Or even a few weeks ago, we followed the Mercè human tower festival from the bus, watching it live on our phones while we were running late to get there. We consult the digital version much more than the TV. Although we have also watched programs together such as Objectiu Sagrada Família or Els artesans de Gaudí, which amazed us.

Just now betevé is launching Adam, thinking of young people. Explain it to me.

— Adam is a new channel focused on Generation Z. Mine still have some time before they get there, but when they are a little older they will surely join, because it offers very diverse content in Catalan made by young creators, which allows you to discover things and at the same time reflect on topics that concern us all.

You are a digital content director, but you are also a mother; therefore, you are surely concerned about the use of screens. How do you handle this contradiction?

— The digital world is the main gateway to everything: we have a very powerful tool in our hands that opens us up to a world of knowledge like never before. The point is to know how to choose. The risk is getting too hooked on it, but not just children: adults, first and foremost. I live with my phone in my hand, I admit it. And this contradiction of mine, I handle very badly.

And your children?

— In the case of the boys, they are doing better. The eldest, who is in the third year of ESO, still does not have a mobile phone nor does she ask for one. She and her friends are the resistance! And I think that makes a big difference.

What does it mean to be a mother?

— Being a mother is a revolution. It turns your life upside down; it is intense and exhausting. Over the years, it has allowed me to value my parents even more. And to realize how lucky I have been to always feel loved, to know that they are unconditional towards me, that they admire me, that they like me as I am, and that they bring out my best version. This is the mother I want to be.

And what happens when you can't take it anymore?

— I have learned that nothing is forever. When you go through difficult or intense moments you have to remind yourself that everything passes and that tomorrow will be better. I have also discovered superpowers that I did not know I had.

Like now?

— Finding things in extremis in the most unlikely places, improvising dinners with an empty fridge, reading stories out loud when your eyes are closing... The capacity for sacrifice for one's children has no limits. It seems it comes standard with being a mother.

Tell me about a moment when you burst out laughing.

— This summer we went on a road trip and got stuck in a huge traffic jam on the highway. To distract ourselves, we thought of looking for a list of jokes on Spotify. And suddenly all five of us were laughing at nonsense non-stop. It was cathartic.