Most families are organised by mum. Mum is the decision-maker when it comes to the organisation of daily life, social activities, the daily finances, the logistics and more. This is a demanding job and in my experience, it becomes even more demanding when children get older.

When mine were younger I could just pick them up and put them in bed. If my teenage son now tells me he is not going to his room, I am ‘weapon less’!

On a practical level life as a mum has thrown all these unexpected tasks at me: the driver, cook, ‘hotelier’ in a sarcastic approach, teacher, nurse and more.

On an emotional level, I am blown away by the impact my family has on my life. I was totally unprepared for the feelings of guilt, no control, pressure and what I call emotional multitasking. It makes life interesting and rich, but it is nonetheless demanding.

And last but not least, the circumstantial elements of motherhood. What I mean by this is how external responses affect me as a mum. I am thinking of the ‘reward’ from my children: when they cuddle up and tell me they love me and melt and feel the love flowing through me. But when they shout at me and blame me for all that went wrong, as a matter of fact because of their own negligence, I don’t have that deep sense of love. I feel more angry and resentful! But I am also thinking of how I am being judged by others and how my identity can be diminished to ‘mum of’!

Being a mum of a child that requires extra attention, because of physical or behavioural needs, the challenges of the job are unimaginable harder. And if you are one of those mums and want some extra support, why not contact me and discuss what I can do for you? My personal background makes me even more understanding and empathic, as you can read here.

Call me on 07967 717 131 or email mariette@stressfreecoaching.co.uk

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