The Lockdown Mother
This one’s for the Lockdown Mother,
The Mother who’s sick of the same four walls, the sound of her own snappy voice, and the mess
everywhere she looks.
The Mother who’s overwhelmed by all of the worsening news, her thoughts, and the things piling up around her that she just can’t get on top of.
The Mother who loves spending time with her kids, and loves them more than anything in the entire world,
but needs a break from them in order to mother to her full potential.
The Mother who can’t wait for bedtime every single day right now, and struggles to get up every single
morning to do the same things she did yesterday, two days ago, and last week.
The Mother who intends to do arts and crafts with her children, and starts the bigger picture projects at the
beginning of the day, but almost never has succeeded by the evening, leaving her once again feeling like
she’s failed.
The Mother who misses her friends, her family, her work colleagues, her playdates, her local parks, her
local cafes, her friendly baristas, her outings that remind her that she is never alone.
The Mother who’s at home with young children being their lifeline right now, while missing out on her own
lifeline: her village.
The Mother who’s working from home with young children, or with sick children, or with older children who
no longer want to spend this much time at home.
The Mother who’s homeschooling her children on top of every single other thing she’s doing, or hasn’t yet
done, or may not get time for in the foreseeable future because there’s never enough time right now.
The Single Mother who normally has too much on her plate for one parent anyway, but now has even
more, with even less support.
The Mother who’s working away from her children and is in daily contact with strangers who may pass on
health risks to her and her family when she returns home each day.
The Mother about to bring life into this world in a way far different to what she planned, but similar to what
she hoped would never be her reality.
The Mother not able to adequately support her partner, her business, their business, their family or their
future like she could before and is a cannonball of worry, guilt, and feelings that she doesn’t have the space
for right now.
The Mother, wherever she is, in whatever circumstances she’s in due to this pandemic, who finds it hard to
enjoy the moments she normally would, yet finds it too easy to be hard on herself.
You are remarkable.
What you are doing right now is not normal. It’s unprecedented. It’s asking a lot from you and more.
You are incredible.
Mothers were not designed to mother in this way. In isolation. Without support. Without breaks.
You are resilient.
Despite the struggles, the abnormal, the too much of everything right now, you keep showing up.
You are more than enough.
And every single day, in every single way you make it through, you are showing that.
Lockdown Mother,
You are a warrior.
You are creating history right now.
And one day future mothers who see, hear, or read about this time will see just how amazing you are.
Keep going.
Written by Emma Heaphy for Mumli