May 2013
“I know now that the hard work starts after the birth.”*
The first major horizon is the birth, looming in the future as a life-changing event. After that, in the early weeks and months, each hurdle or milestone races by until suddenly your baby is starting preschool. It isn’t long until ‘big’ school approaches, and in this phase the real meaning of hard work begins to dawn. For some, it may be years since you’ve had a really satisfying sleep and for others, a relaxing hour or two reading a book or catching up with friends may be a distant memory. It’s become a bit of a cliché to say that parents must make time for themselves in order to be better parents, and yet amidst the never-ending hard slog of daily parenting, we sure need it!
* From Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin
Last updated 01 May 2013.
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Photograph © Kate Elmes
Feature story
Mother of all goodbyes
I push her on the swing, back and forth, back and forth. The creaking chains mirror my body complaining under the strain but persisting, determined to fulfil its role. I remember a day when pushing a swing was tedious...
What's new this month
Being a parent
is a bit like riding an express train,
don't you think?
Hurtling from one day to the next, sometimes it feels like time just rushes by.
Parenting can be exhilarating, joyful, bittersweet, maddening or exhausting – sometimes a combination of all these emotions in one day! And then our babies leave home, flee the nest… it can be devastating, a blessed relief or both!
Parenting can also erode our sense of ourselves as creative people. Although a labour of love, raising children can be monotonous and isolating,
...that’s why we all need to express ourselves.
Parenting Express gives a voice to parents and others who care for children. If you write creative nonfiction, poetry or fiction about your experiences of giving birth and the challenges and rewards of raising the next generation, we want to hear from you.
Anne-marie Taplin - About this website
About me
About my book
Read excerpt from The Divided Heart, Art and Motherhood on the topic of creativity and motherhood