Theotherdaywe
to okPearloutfora
particularlywetwalk
andthroughall the
mud I noticedlittlesnowdrops
anddaffodilbulbshad started
toshootup. Springis coming!
The daysareslightlylonger
an d thingsarestartingto feel
a bit cheerier.
I al waysthinkparentingis so
mucheasierin goodweather
whenyoucanventureout,there’s
d d d ’haveto spendall yourmoneyon
co ffeesatthesoft-playcentre!Hurrah!
Beforewe areintothefullswingof
sp ringthough,we haveMother’sDay!
A day forus to remindeveryonehow
fa bulouswe reallyare,to marvelathow
cl everwe areforcreatingtheselittle
beings,to be showeredwithgiftsby
our lovingfamily,to oohandahhover
ha ndmadecards,andto cashin that
ex tra-longbubble-bath-alonetoken.
Soundsso perfect,doesn’tit?
In thosewaysit is, butI wantedto talk
to dayabouttheharder
si deof Mother’sDay,just
fo r a moment,in caseany
ofyouwerein thesame
boatas me, andto remind
you, you’renot alone.
I’ vetalkedaboutitbefore, but if you’re new to my column,
my lovely mum, Jane, died when I was
seven years old. She fought bravely
against cancer but sadly, at the time,
they didn’t have the medical advances
we have now, and we lost her five days
before Christmas 1992.
For so many years I would find
Mothering Sunday a really hard and
sad day. I would feel jealous of friends
buying their mums gifts, and would find
myselflingeringnearthecardssections
in shops,wonderingwhichI wouldbuy
forherif shewashere.
Everythingchangedformewhen
I becamea mummymyself.I remember
Mother’sDay 2011 – I washeavily
pr egnantwithDarcyandmy friend
Charlottesentme a cardfrom‘the
bump’.It wasthefirsttimeI’d enjoyed
Mother’sDayin over20 years,andI’ve
lovedit eversince.
Liammakesa big fussandtakesthe
gi rlsoutto buyflowersandcards,and
th enthey‘present’themall to me in the
kitchen.We tryto havea nicedayout,
but don’tputtoomuchpressure–
onourselves– a mealoutwithlittle
onesisn’talwaysthemostrelaxing
ex perience,is it? OnedayI’ll haveto
te ll youthestoryof theMother’sDay
whenDarcyaccidentallysetfireto our
restauranttable!Nevera dullmoment.
AlthoughI do thinkof Muma lotat
th is timeof year,I alsofocuson the
re allygoodmaternalthingsin my life- mybondwithmy owngirls,thestrong
relationshipsI havewithotherwomen
(r elatedor not)andthecommunity
ofwomenonlinethatI’vecometo
know andlove.
If youaremissingyourmumthisyear,
isePentlandMother’sDayisn’talwayseasy,but nowI trulyloveit,
saysM&BcolumnistLOUISEPENTLANDWhere do I start?Louise with Darcy
and Pearl last year
Pearl’s first Mother’s Day