Insights on Motherhood - Mayhem & Beyond
Last week Charlie and I were walking along Southbank when I saw three women pushing strollers walking towards us. Three mums, three strollers and three little girls. One of the mothers was wearing a T shirt that said “The Future is Female”. They were talking animatedly and laughing at one another and they looked the…
I was sitting at my desk when my colleague approached me. Her eyes were glassy and she looked a tiny bit defeated. She explained that she had just taken a call from her daughter’s day care. Her daughter wasn’t well, a high temp meant pick up time was now not later. Her husband was interstate…
A few days ago I was standing in front of one of those Hallmark Card stands staring at a saccharine sea of hearts, roses and teddy bears. Depending on your viewpoint (or your relationship status) these Valentines Day card stands are either a commercial load of bullshit or a reminder that romance isn’t dead. Instinctively I…
A friend is preparing for the arrival of her second baby and this makes my heart sing. A new baby is a reminder of all that is right and lovely and hopeful. A sweet, little being who will create beautiful chaos. Her soul is preparing to once again be transformed and I am simply looking forward to…
On Monday 8th of January, Oprah Winfrey was awarded the Cecil B. DeMille Award, an honorary award bestowed by the Hollywood Foreign Press for outstanding contributions to the world of entertainment. The moment was historical and her acceptance speech will go down in history. It was powerful, it was moving and it was so bloody…
Years ago, amid the injections, the scans and the slippery slope that was IVF I was sitting at the traffic lights watching a pregnant lady waiting to cross the road. I was mesmerised by how she looked, the way she intuitively rubbed her belly, she stood there and as far as I was concerned her life was…
I recently listened to a podcast where Bernard Fanning was being interviewed live at the ABC Brisbane studio for ABC Conversations “Songs of your Streets” series. Interviews featuring how Australian towns and cities have shaped Australian music and since Powderfinger are such a quintessential part of the Australian music landscape it would have been a natural choice to…
It was quite a few years ago that I read a piece by Rebecca Sparrow called “I had a baby and became a crap friend.” It was relevant to me because at the time I had a 2 month old baby but I since I was still in that newborn hazy, dazy bubble of baby powder it didn’t resonate…
Charlie is at the sweet age when he says some funny shit. It’s astonishing the things that young children say but it’s only when you live with the running commentary of a little person that you appreciate the randomness of their thoughts. “Do giants eat houses for breakfast?” “Will I melt if I touch the…
Anxiety manifests itself in many ways. Physically and or psychologically, fears and phobias. My version is generally centred around health and an intense fear of those close to me getting sick. Really sick. It’s not something that consumes me, it surfaces when everything is going well and then someone (usually MM or Charlie) complains of feeling…
There is loads of commentary about what you need to think about should you decide to return to work after maternity leave. Between LinkedIn and Facebook, everyone has an opinion on the whole return to work discussion, the logistics, employee rights, employer rights, childcare, what to wear. All of these things are important and require…
