This week on Sunday was Mother's Day in the UK (in Finland it is not until May). I was glad to have the chance to spend the day with my own mother this year, but in many ways it was an odd kind of Mother's Day to be honest. I have been a Mum myself for almost twenty years, but in the last twelve months I have had to think about the concept of "motherhood" in a whole new way.The recent development of my own mother's illness means that my relationship with her has changed radicallyover the past year. Quite often these days she does not remember who I am, and I can no longer tell her details about my life that I would have shared in the past. Even on the days when she does remember me, there are still whole sections of my life which she is no longer aware of. So for me, I have been getting used to a whole new relationship with a person I have known all my life. I try to look after her interests now, whereas once it was her looking after me. Of course she is still my mother, but she talks with a different voice these days. And all this takes some getting used to, as I know several of my friends have experienced with one or both of their own parents.
This Mother's Day was also the first on which I said "Happy Mother's Day" to my own daughter - Saskia, who recently became a mother herself. That was odd. Until now there's only been one Mum in the family -me. Now there are two of us!
And of course this year I approached Mother's Day as a single Mum as well, so even my own role as a mother has been totally redefined. There have certainly been lots of changes over the last few months. Motherhood is the most wonderful and the most challenging of things, and I guess no-one ever gets it entirely right. The best we can hope for is that the children that any of us mothers are blessed with, grow up to know how much they are loved. Happy British Mother's Day to you all!
1 comment:
You put me thinking about fatherhood and development of human.
My father was very practical and skilfull to make things, but not so theoretical. He was able to make also tools for himself.
Our subjects were limited but warm.
I am practical but theoretial too, I can make things but not such kind as my father made but he never utilized internet. I buy allmost all my tools.
My "kids" are more scholarly but comparable practical too. We talk widely about different kind subjects often warmly but sometimes debating.
We can learn some new things everybody.
What is coming after I have gone?
I am quite sure, that next generation have more and more good in theoretical things, but not so skillfull to make things on their own. They buy such kind things what I wouldn´t. They can talk with their children about thinks I never heard and saw, and use tools invented duoring my retirement I never utilised.
They have such kind luxury I couldn´t imagine and they feel such kind as a problem that I was thinking is belonging to every days natural life and not problem at all. But they are as happy as I have been.
Kyösti
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