03/03/2022
This is me on my very first Mothering Sunday as a mother myself. I remember that moment so well, the joy of the baby snuggles and his completely uncomprehending glee at the wrapping paper around the presents his father had bought and wrapped on his behalf.
But I also remember the sheer cross-eyed exhaustion. I barely need to conjure that memory up because you can see it written all over my face in this picture!
I remember wishing I could just go back to bed but having to get up and pack the inevitably ginourmous nappy/toy bag that would be required to get through the nice pub lunch my husband had so carefully and thoughtfully arranged.
It’s not that we don’t want to spend a lovely day with our children, it’s not that we’re not SUPER grateful for the scrawled cards and handmade gifts and lovely days out they “plan”. But when that day is supposedly devoted to “giving mum a rest” and you end up working just as hard as you do on any other (actually, sometimes harder because there’s such a lot of pressure on making it a nice day) then it just feels a little bit galling doesn’t it?
And it’s true of all those milestone days in the calendar isn’t it? Birthdays, Christmas, any big celebration really and you’ll find Mums doing a lot of work just to make them happen and then spending not a lot of time actually enjoying the event itself.
Now you’re probably not going to be able to absent yourself from the celebrations of your next birthday or book yourself a massage on Christmas morning (although if you do you have my full support, you’ve earned it!)
But on this one day of the year we are told we can have it any which way we want so let’s grab that opportunity! Stop waiting for someone else to guess your needs. Decide now how you want your Mothering Sunday to look this year and let your nearest and dearest know in precise detail because how else will they know? I suspect that “time on my own to just sit in silence and drink a hot cup of tea” is top of a lot of mums’ wishlists and yet that doesn’t feature in many gift guides!
And if that is what’s top of your list then I have something you might like because my upcoming outdoor coaching and relaxation event, The Woodland Wind-down with , falls on the weekend of Mothering Sunday!
We want you to be able to sit with that hot cup of tea, to get quiet enough that you can hear your own thoughts, to slow down and just be in nature, if that’s what will make your heart sing on Mother’s Day. Join us for just the Saturday and spend Sunday enjoying your kids’ attempts at breakfast in bed or go the whole hog and spend the whole weekend with us and return to your family truly rested and refreshed.
Places are limited and are booking up fast and prices go up next week so don’t hang about, book your spot today at www.lauralivingstonecoaching.co.uk/woodland-winddown Or forward this post to your significant other with the message: Big Hint!
