The Ideal Mother isn’t kind. She might only be a cultural myth. But this idealisation of the perfect caregiver is a harmful omnipresence in all of our families. The notion of the Ideal Mother – as portrayed in misogynist rags…
motherhood
Escape to Bristol – a weekend away by myself
I spent last weekend in Bristol by myself after weeks fantasizing about my escape. Escape from what? I’m not sure – Family life? Motherhood? Midlife? Myself? Probably all of those things. I turn 42 this weekend and it can’t be…
You’re a superhero, you’re a goddess, you’re a mother
It starts when the alarm goes off – or sooner if you have an early riser in your brood. You haven’t had that first hit of coffee before one of them is crawling into bed beside you, freezing small feet…
How To Create A Happy Mother Daughter Relationship
I’ve been doing a lot of thinking about motherhood recently, specifically around how to make sure my girl and I have a happy mother daughter relationship – one that serves both of us long into the future. Like many mums…
Get back your career confidence after children
“I don’t suppose I’ll ever get my career back,” she told me. “I’ve been out of the game for ten years. Nobody will want to employ me now.” Sounds familiar? Up and down the country, too many mothers are…
How to switch back to mother mode when you work from home
When you work from home, the transition from mother to worker and back again can be sticky. On those rare days I work in the office, the change in physical surroundings helps me separate the different parts of myself. It’s…
While you are sleeping
It’s the tenderest part of our day – giving you both a goodnight kiss as you sleep peacefully in your beds. It’s the end to our evening rituals. First, we lock the house up, to keep us all safe as…
Sleep is (not) for the weak
I can’t function on less than 8 hours’ sleep. And I have to say that sleeping is now one of my favourite past times. In fact, I’d take sleep over most other night-time activities – hands down. I’m (thankfully) not…
How to survive the school run
Me and the school run have a love/hate relationship. This morning has been pretty awful. My girl went crazy with the surgical tape in bed last night (now safely back in the first aid kit). She stuck strip after strip…
May you always be this brave
‘I don’t want to have babies,’ Nell announces, pretty regularly. She’s only four, and it makes me smile that, although she’s quite happy to swaddle her stuffed baby elephant, she has no inclination for a human baby – plastic or…
How to survive the Furious Fours (kinda)
It’s been a truly horrible morning. Who knew that buttoning a cardigan could cause so much anger, frustration and distress? But it can when there’s a four-and-a-half-year-old involved. At least when it’s my four-and-a-half-year-old. My daughter is going through what…
A mother’s CV
Mummy Curriculum vitae PERSONAL STATEMENT Dedicated, hard-working and supremely adaptable individual seeks more credit for doing a bloody hard job seven days a week. RELEVANT EXPERIENCE Leadership: skilled in growing, educating, nurturing, managing and caring for two small human…