LISA BAYLEY, because of the several hats she wears, interacted with children almost every day. But she wanted one of her own. When she gave birth to Gabrielle Bayley five years ago however, she never expected that so much of her would be moulded into the beautiful baby she created.
“When I found out that I was pregnant I was ecstatic; I was scared and I was hoping I got a quiet boy child, but I got me. My daughter looks like her father but acts like me and I was a handful”, she said, laughing.
“I have always been that person in the office where all the children would gather at my desk when they come in from school,” she said during an interview with EASY magazine. “I’m the silly aunty that everybody loves; children love me and I love them, so I’ve always wanted to be a mother.
“Being a mother is everything to me and the biggest part is setting a good example and trying, trust me I am trying, to let her not make some of the mistakes that I may have made and being honest about those mistakes . . . . I think it is extremely important to be honest with your children; it sounds easy now she is five but when she gets 15 years old, God would help me with that.”
Lisa was somewhat of a handful when she was a child and she said she could see her personality reflected in Gabrielle.
“I am my mother’s last child. She calls me the last and not the third because she said she didn’t want any more after me; I gave all the trouble. So my biggest challenge so far is that I am parenting myself. The things that come out of her mouth are all me so before I retaliate I have to pause and think. I even sound like my own mother and I am like, ‘Oh my gosh, I sound like you, mummy”.
“With Gabrielle, when you tell her don’t touch it, you know she is going to touch it.”
Lisa, a health fanatic, is married to David Bayley, a personal trainer, and both of them raise little Gabby as healthy as can be.
“There is so much junk food out there and she is so young and loves Chefette and Burger King so just finding the time to make healthy meals for her is difficult but I am trying.
“I give her carrot sticks to take to school and I tell her it’s going to help her with her eyesight so while other children wear glasses she doesn’t have to worry about anything like that. So it is how you sell it and I am a public relations professional so you know I am going to sell it.
“Also I think the fact that my husband and I eat vegetables helps because children practise what they see. But the grannies make it a little harder because they give them everything they want. The first time she asked for a Sprite I was in shock because we don’t keep Sprite or Coke or Frutee; if you come over and you ask for something to drink you would get mauby, lemonade or 100 per cent fruit juice or water.
“But since granny drinks Sprite she asks for Sprite, so influence is important, but I am working on granny,” said Lisa, chuckling.
One of Lisa’s favourite parts of the day is to come home and listen to her daughter’s day. She also tries to teach Gabrielle most of the principles her mother instilled in her.
“I try to instill good old time manners and things like not putting your elbows on the table; to respect people, especially your elders. Something my father taught me was, ‘We Ashbys always have to work hard’ so I explain to her that nothing in life comes easy and to listen and learn and make the best out of what people are teaching you.”
When Gabrielle was three years old she had a terrible lung infection and had to be admitted to the hospital and during that time the bond between Lisa and her got stronger.
“I spent two and a half weeks with her there and the time I spent in the children’s ward was a life-changing experience. So one of my favourite moments with Gabby was coming home from there because the sight of the sick children was heartbreaking.
“Another precious yet funny moment I had with her was the day she was born. She was an emergency C-section. I was in labour for eight hours and endured a lot of pain and it was really horrible. Everyone got to see her before me but when I first saw her my reaction was, ‘You have to be kidding me . . . . I carried you for nine months and you look like your father.”
Lisa stresses how much family time is important, and at times tell Gabby and David to put down the gadgets so the family can spend time together. She said that it can be hard at times but it was important to spend quality time with each other no matter how stressful or busy she and her husband’s day might be. When Lisa is not taking long walks with her family she is diligently at work.
Lisa has a degree in mass communication, public sector management and a master’s in public health. Full-time she is an acting information officer at the Barbados Government Information Service (BGIS). She is a bridge between the statutory institution and the media; she also voices infomercials, thanks to Baldwin Phillips who saw that aspect of talent in her, and is a television officer responsible for five ministries.
She is also is the chairman of the HIV/AIDS Commission Committee at BGIS and is widely known as the host of Love Poetry And Song. She is also a board member of the Chronic Non-Communicable Disease Commission and she has a passion for addressing childhood obesity in schools.
Lisa believes it still takes a community to raise a child.
“Having a husband or a partner around is very helpful and my sister, father, mother and niece are my village and if I didn’t have them around I wouldn’t have been able to get my degrees or have a full-time job. Sometimes as a parent you don’t have all the answers and sometimes I have to call my mum and ask how to handle situations.” (SB)
