KeepBelieving.

When something beyond our control changes life as we know it, it’s how we deal with what we CAN control that shapes our days.

From 23rd March, we all as a nation woke the very next day full of apprehensive uncertainty, most of us waking up finding ourselves being an entirely different parent from the one we was, the day before. For the majority of us, we became teachers over night, as we tried to adjust to a new routine of working from home channeling our inner worries.

As COVID spread quicker than wildfire through our communities, taking no favour. Thousands if not millions of parents embraced their new 24/7 roles. On day one we saw a blur of rainbow coloured Pinterest worthy routine charts plastered all over our Social pages.

Mother’s of all ages prepared to tackle this change, like all mums we just adapt. But it wasn’t long before the heat turned up and pressure in the pan started boiling. COVID began to weaken our mental health, we appeared to dangerously compare ourselves more than ever to the sunshine glowing mums we see on social media, warmth radiating of their smiles through our screens. Our lack of ability to cook fluffy looking fairy cakes drizzled deliciously in white as snow icing and glittering sprinkles. Fear crept in as we realise our inability, lack of patience to guide and teach our children strategies we left behind the moment we stepped foot away from school. ‘I’m not a teacher, I haven’t trained to be one.’ But we forget for the last 4 years we was our only children’s guidance. We nurtured and taught our children to roll over, crawl, talk and walk. We taught our children to express themselves. We taught our children life skills and met all those milestones alone. We instantly became victims to undermining our parenting.

Like our great grandparents time, we now too are learning how to parent in a global crisis. Unlike them, their war was known and our war is silent and the enemy is unknown and unidentifiable until it claims its next victim.

Much similar, when Livy’s hearing was diagnosed as Profoundly deaf, life as I knew it changed. The way my parenting had to change for the preparation and resilience, it was a familiar feeling, as the parent you are today is not the one you have to step into tomorrow as. Our ability to change is not as reluctant as our veggie refusing toddler.

As we’re forced to sit at a table, to a dinner party we wished not attended with a host like COVID, as it serves up some pretty phenomenal changes to our everyday living, grief of lost ones and the economical stress of business’ being forced to temporarily pause. As we take our first mouthful of a recipe of disaster, acknowledging and accepting our feelings and stresses is the key to seeing through our days. We’re not alone right now, it’s very much ok to admit we’re struggling as we’re all sat at the table finding ourselves experiencing more emotions than we bargained for. And potentially a few greying hairs.

As each day blurs into the next, with only a cuppa or a wine in hand to identify if it’s morning or night, I hope you too are beginning to believe in your abilities of how incredible we are at adaptation, suddenly, your other problems feel weightless and we let go of the little things.

I mean, there was a time I sworn to myself that if I ever became a Mum, my child wouldn’t be seen out the house in a princess/marvel costume. Now my daughter struts her sass in multiple of princess
Dresses and both sons rock a Spider-Man costume
Spraying anyone that crosses their path with invisible web. I have adjusted to functioning on less sleep imaginable. All those cheeky drinks on a ‘school night’ ain’t got nothing on a newborn cry for boobie milk on every passing hour. I’m sure we’ve all imagined about being that insta mummy who feeds their children organic veggies, yet our darlings demand chicken nuggies with chips being their only form of veggie, we all know who won that war!

From being a adult without a care in the world and within minutes stepping into the world of unknown,
Parenthood. You’ve already nailed this skill of change and adaptation.

Keep believing, even if it is to get through to bedtime for that chilled glass of Rosè. Tomorrow is a new day.