July 09
“I feel fulfilled in a way that I never dreamed possible.”*
Now that I am a mother, I feel a deep well of pleasure, tenderness and connection. It’s a feeling I could never have imagined before the birth of my first child. It’s a scary feeling sometimes, because once we have come so far, given so much and experienced such raw and heightened emotions, it’s terrifying to think what life would be like without without ‘them’. Our loved ones, our precious babies who matter so very much.
* © from Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007
Last updated 03 July 2009.
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Photograph © Mick Bradley from 'Being Mummy' by Anne‑marie Taplin
Feature story
Out of the mouth of my babe
“My cat died today and she’s in the ground turning into dirt!” Lachlan announced proudly at the cafe. He knelt on the chair; his green-grey eyes wide, rimmed with long dark lashes...
The author of every feature story selected wins a copy of my gift book Being Mummy
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