Today, my youngest baby has become a teenager. Whilst far from being a fully-fledged adult, she is incredibly independent, brave, kind, warm-hearted and FUN!
The mothering journey is so different for everyone and is so contextual. How would my experience have been different with more support? How would it have been with less support?
How would it have been for my children if I had had more support? How would it have been for them if I had less support?
How would it have been to have raised my children in poverty (something I seem to ponder quite a lot – maybe that’s some kind of intergenerational trauma passing through as my dad didn’t have enough food in his childhood)? How would it have been to raise them in a violent home or a country where children are regularly kidnapped and taken into an army or sold?
Today, for some reason, I find my heart with all the mothers who are trying their best to be the best mothers they can be in difficult circumstances. And I give thanks for the support I had from my country, my community and my family.
If you are raising children in difficult circumstances, my heart is with you.
All my love,
Jen
