Tea and talks

Welcome everyone to Tea and talks!

I am the Resident mum for Popsie Co. so grab your tea! I am a full time working single mother living in the outskirts of London working my way through what parenthood has taught me.

As a qualified Mental Health First Aider I wanted my first post to be centred around wellbeing. Not just about your own wellbeing, but the wellbeing of others. Being a parent in the most normal of circumstances is hard. We as parents are the cook, the cleaner, the doctor, the nurse, the taxi, the judge, the jury, the wife, the husband, teacher etc I could go on but you get what I mean.

It takes some people most their life to decide what they they want to be, what career path to take and if undecided that is OK, because if you are a parent you do the vast majority of them at one time of another.

With homeschooling being all too familiar and with schools closed, it is ok not to be ok. Whether you are working or not, Homeschooling is hard. It is ok not to have completed all the work set, it is ok not to have got your child out of their pyjamas. Stop concentrating on what you didn't accomplish and start thinking about what you did.

You woke up, you got dressed, you managed to make breakfast and start work on time. This is a win! When you are a parent these wins to non parents aren't big but to us they can be huge! It is ok to put your child to bed early so you can unwind and have a bath. Mum guilt? we are all to familiar with that! Thats something that mothers fall victim to when they want to just have five minutes.

On a plane they instruct you to put your oxygen mask on first before you help anyone else with theirs. This is because if you are gasping for air you are not at your optimum to help anyone. Only when you look after yourself can you truly be able to help others.

Your wellbeing is just as important. Think about it, if all you need it five minutes to reset take it. Our children need us, they need us to be well rested and strong in order to care for them, guide them. It is ok to ask for help. As women we should support each other and not suffer alone.

Take a look at the African Elephant they live in a matriarchal society. The women of the herd support mothers to ensure the calf learns and develops and keeps the pace. It is ok to need help and support. Even though we are in lockdown or have limited contacted with our loved ones we can still support each other.

Pick up the phone, call grandma and grandpa. FaceTime Auntie and send funny videos. Sometimes on the outside people look fine but behind those smiles on Instagram and perfect photos we just don't know how needs to hear from a friend.

Stay safe everyone

Resident Mum