I know I don’t say it sometimes, but I’m grateful for you. ⠀
You carry more than just her on your shoulders, even though some days that feels enough. ⠀
You carry me when I need it, even when I don’t know I do. ⠀
You help carry us as a family, sometimes making me forget how heavy the load can be.⠀
Read MoreWhen a mum tells you she’s exhausted what do you say?⠀
I normally encourage her to take a nap if she can, to take it easy and reassure her that it’s about surviving not thriving sometimes. ⠀
I also normally tell her that I’m tired too, that it’s hard and to be gentle on herself.
Read MoreIt’s a rarity these days when she is awake and all is quiet. To clarify, I’m not talking about the quiet when she is out of sight (because we all know that that right there is a toddler mum’s worst nightmare) but the quietness of pages turning, pencils scribbling on paper and plastic cups being placed in and out of boxes.
Read MoreAs I opened the door after a weekend away, my heart warmed. The floors were vacuumed, the bench was wiped and the toys were put away.⠀
It was a beautiful sight, but it’s more than that, so much more. ⠀
Read MorePlease don’t wake, not yet,⠀
There’s more I need to do,⠀
Like the washing, the dishes, and dinner,⠀
Just to name a few.
Read More“Is it bedtime yet?” and “when are you home?” are questions I often ask this pregnancy, my first pregnancy as a mum to a toddler.⠀
Read MoreYour legs wrap around me, but not like they used to. ⠀
They are not as light now and they no longer tuck neatly under my arms and chest. ⠀
Your feet either dangle below my waistline or nearly meet each other on my opposite hip.⠀
Read MoreYou served us at the grocery store. ⠀
You witnessed the tantrum, my offerings of potato chips that we hadn’t yet paid for and my eye rolls when she asked for a different coloured packet. ⠀
“And how are you?” I asked him at 10.30pm as were getting ready for bed. ⠀⠀
“I’m good, why? Is something wrong?” He responded.⠀⠀
We both paused and then laughed, thankfully, because if we hadn’t laughed I could have cried. ⠀⠀
We are privileged to live in a country with clean rivers, swimmable oceans and beautiful walks. It shouldn’t be easy to forget, but sometimes it proves to be with the variety of technologies available from our household. From television, laptops, cellphones and tablets there is no shortage of information available at our fingertips.
Read MoreThere is nothing better than watching you sleep. I could watch you do it forever.
You are comfortably surrounded by waffle duvet and crinkled sheets, with your arms stretched out as wide as possible to enjoy every inch of the bed you sometimes find yourself in in the early hours of the morning.
Read MoreIt’s the moments like these that make my heart stop for a moment.
The two of you cuddling in the early hours of the morning while I am having a cup of tea.
Read MoreFrom beneath me you grizzle, as if to say, “mum please give me more attention”.
Often your little hands grasp onto my pants and continue to pull at me, as if to say, “mum please come and play with me”.
Read MoreIt’s not just you that’s learning. It’s the two of us learning together. ⠀ ⠀
You learn I’m your safe place, while I learn to protect.⠀ ⠀
You learn to latch, while I learn to breastfeed.⠀ ⠀
Read MoreFor a while longer, ⠀
Let me hold you in my arms on your own,⠀
Let me wipe away your tears with my hands that are only yours,⠀
Let me soak in all of you every moment with every part of me.⠀
Read MoreDear mum guilt,⠀⠀⠀
I accept that sometimes I can’t wait for my little one’s bed time. Not every night but some. I want you to know that this doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy being a mum, that I love my child any less or that I’m failing motherhood. It often just means that the day has taken a lot from me, that my child has or that I need some time to catch up before the following day, which I always hope will be better.⠀⠀
I have had many teachers over the years. ⠀ Primary school, intermediate, secondary school teachers.⠀⠀
Music teachers, coaches, academic tutors.⠀⠀ University lecturers, senior practitioners and Judges. ⠀⠀ ⠀
Your office is your home.⠀⠀
You work there every day, but there are often no other staff members to keep you company.
Pregnancy isn’t always perfect bumps, soft skin, luscious locks and glows. It can be imperfect bumps, blemished skin, dead hair, and paleness. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀
It isn’t always glamorous or perfect or graceful. In fact a lot of the time it can feel the opposite. ⠀⠀
Read MoreA picture paints a thousand words, but those thousand words almost never tell the whole story.⠀⠀⠀
Whether the picture be on social media, through the windscreen of your car as you pass a cafe, or through your sunglasses as you engage with other mums at playgroup, the same applies.
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