It might be a slightly long bow I’m pulling here, but I know there’s some pertinent truth in this too. Mothers (and the people who support mothers) are so often the women we all count on to get things done. Just look at all the companies who want to recruit mums because they know that women with kids can almost certainly multi-task and usually have top-notch management skills from their experiences at home.
It was a while ago now, but the day I left home my mother wrote me a note that said at the end of it “..spread your wings and fly”. I’ll never forget it.
At the time it was with mixed feelings that I received that sentiment. I didn’t appreciate what she meant at all. The situation was not ideal, but for a lot of reasons, it was time for me to move out of home and learn to be independent.
And sure enough, that’s what happened. Now I’m a single mother with a 7-year-old boy, and thank goodness I’ve had enough strength and self-sufficiency from those earlier experiences to be able to be a single parent and still retain my sanity.
Not without help, let’s be really clear on that. It really is as the cliché goes, it takes a village to raise a child. In my village, I have incredibly supportive friends and family, and more recently even a new partner. For this, my gratitude is unending, so of course, I do all I can to support all of these people in return.
Today was mother’s day. I made a grilled cornbread with tomato salsa recipe which fed us all day. During this most lavish of mum-day brunches, my mother and I mused at how it was us who had made the food – even though it was mothers’ day!
Still, this was certainly done with love, for our family. We do this because we did learn to fly when we left our nests. We do this because we love to nurture our children, and feeding them healthy food still gives us a buzz.
So to all the mothers out there who are single, or not, or who cook, or who don’t, whatever your flavour of motherhood is, enjoy it! Spread your wings and fly through life. You never know when that sense of freedom to be who we are – in whatever form – will rub off on those around us, or perhaps even our kids.
Alena Turley is an Australian mentor for mothers. Founder of the pioneering blog, the Soul Mama Hub, her wellbeing membership offers a powerful pathway for mothers ready to go from over-extended, stuck in the daily grind, to empowered, inspired and energised so they can become the CHANGEMAKERS they dream of being.
