After the beauty of Mother’s Day on Sunday, we chatted to a few mamas to find out what motherhood looks like through their eyes. From struggles with the balance to discovering new things about yourself to the constant “mum-guilts”, every mother goes through a roller-coaster of emotions. These mums are honest, funny, emotional and serve as a reminder that while no two peoples’ journey is the same, one thing is certain: it’s not smooth sailing all of the time for anyone. So remember, you’re doing an incredible job, mama!
Scroll down to read what each mama had to say about what motherhood means to them. Warning: you might want to grab some tissues before reading.
1 // Raffaela Jenkins, Interior stylist and blogger at Indi + Bear, is mother to Indi, two, and Ollie, six months
“To me, motherhood has been the greatest gift of all, and something I will never take for granted. It has made me want to be the best version possible of myself so Indi and Ollie have a positive role model in their life; a continuous cheerleader for every milestone they’ll experience and someone they can always look up to and depend on.”
2 // Jessica Jane Sammut, Editor-in-Chief at Mama Disrupt, is mother to Zac, nine, and Finn, six
“Motherhood is an adventure of the soul. A journey of love, growth and finding your truth. A journey to your inner core. Through motherhood, you find strength you never knew you had, courage you questioned existed inside of you and a fierceness that could rule the world. Motherhood is the hardest, greatest, most incredible exploration of self, which leaves you forever changed.”
3 // Claire Aristides, Founder and Creative Director of Aristides Fine Jewels, is mother to Enzo, seven, and Cleo, 14 months
“Motherhood to me is about being an example for your child and making your child feel extremely loved, that they feel safe and confident in themselves. If my children are happy then I am happy. Motherhood has been one of the most rewarding things I have done in my life, the emotions you feel are incredible. I’ve never felt so much love, so proud, so exhausted, so confused and so happy all within the same 10 minutes!”
4 // Geneva Vanderzeil, Founder of A Pair & A Spare, is mum-to-be to one little bundle of joy
“Looking back at my own childhood the one thing that I remember is that we had such a creative and adventurous time together as a family – always out exploring, making and discovering. And whilst motherhood will no doubt come with many highs and lows, and the constant juggle (and guilt when you have to go off to work!), being able to share the world and have a whole heap of adventures with this new little person (I’m sure/hoping) will make it all worth it. Only time will tell!”
5 // Victoria Lucas, Founder and Creative Director of Love by Willow, is mother to Willow, three, and Olive, 20 months
“Happiness, love, laughter, cuddles and dedication.”
6 // Danella Gillard, Founder and Artist at Sailah Lane, is mother to Zamiah, five, Sailee, four, Vincent, one-and-a-half
“There are so many emotions involved in Motherhood. It means to display your unconditional love, attend to every need (even at 3am) and guide them through life’s ups and downs; all whilst keeping life majestic in their little hearts and minds. It’s a great gift and privilege to be a mother and in some moments (you know ‘the moments’) I have to remind myself of this. I once read, ‘It’s the world’s best job, the world’s hardest job, a constantly learning job – yet most rewarding job'”.
7 // Stephanie Hunt, Journalist and Co-director of Kasbah Trade, is mother to Clementine, one
“I thought I knew how to love, but then I had Clementine and my heart exploded. I love staring deep into her eyes – it’s like meeting the love of your life, all over again. Ben and I did a fair amount of travelling before we decided to start a family and lived in Africa, Europe and the Middle East. I’m from a big family, but I wasn’t sure how the transition to motherhood would be. I absolutely adore it. Being a mum has somehow provided me with a greater sense of freedom. It’s grounded me in a nice way and given me a real desire to voice my opinion and speak up for what I believe in. I’m so proud to be a mum and I love being part of the parent club. I love how parents look out for each other – it’s that kind, knowing look from a stranger, when you’re on the verge of a total meltdown. I think our role as a mother is essentially to do the very best job we can, and then accept the fact that we’ll make mistakes – and that’s ok.”
8 // Megan Hess, Artist and Author, mother to Gwyn, 12, and Will, eight
“Motherhood is creating a family and it allows you to re-discover life through the eyes of a child. Being a mother creates a BIG life! A FULL life. Sometimes it’s hectic and crazy, sometimes you all have head colds and are struggling but, mostly, it’s utter joy. It’s unconditional love and being a mother puts everything in perspective.”
You might also like 5 ways all mamas should spoil themselves ahead of Mother’s Day, MOTHERHOOD: Nailing the working mama juggle, and MUMMA SOUL: Self-care for new mamas.
