February 2012
“Being at home can be fun, insulating, relaxed, boring or isolating ... depending on how the day is going.”*
School holidays are almost over in my part of the world – six long weeks of noise and squabbling balanced by hot, lazy days at the beach or the pool with lots of daring exploits and laughter. Many of our days were spent at home, basking in simple pleasures like baking, playing games or outdoor pursuits – trying to relax the everyday routines of school-morning bustle and ‘having to be somewhere on time’. However pleasant, I must admit to being relieved that life gets back to normal this week, and I can reclaim some of my own time for writing again!
* From Being Mummy by Anne‑marie Taplin published April 2007
Last updated 01 February 2012.
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Photograph © Anne‑marie Taplin
Feature story
Motherly love
Becoming a mother is a life changing experience on many levels. When you hold your own child and are bursting with happiness you begin to understand just how much love your own mother has for you...
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