The glossy magazines and interwebs are full of photos and stories of “Yummy Mummies” – celebrities who have given birth but have bounced back to their pre-baby (often anorexic) shape within seconds days.
Meanwhile, I’m still struggling to get rid of my baby belly, nearly 19 years after giving birth to this gorgeous girl … 😉
Before you can say “congratulations”, they’re back in their smart outfits with perfectly coiffed hair, strutting down the red carpet – a baby is not going to cramp their style! They remain dedicated to being as gorgeous as they were before they had children.
I’m sure I’m not alone in sometimes wishing that *I* could be a yummy mummy (thankfully the hubster says I am, but then the dear man wears glasses … ). We all like to look our best after all, and there is nothing wrong with that.
Introducing the Motherly Mother
However I’d like to think that there is an even more worthy goal that we could be aspiring to: being a motherly mother.
What is a motherly mother you ask?
She is a person whose heart is full of love. Someone who is motherly knows how to listen and show interest in others, and how to really care. She has a ready smile, and a welcoming and approachable demeanour. She is a source of comfort to her loved ones and she gives the best hugs! She may be slender, but it’s more likely that she tends towards a cuddly shape, especially as she ages (all the better to hug you, my dear!).
She may work inside or outside the home. She might wear makeup every day – or she may not. Her style may be corporate suits and high heels, or trackie dackies and fuzzy slippers. But whatever it is, she makes the most of what she has without going overboard and spending money she doesn’t have, and is always appropriate (she doesn’t go grocery shopping in an evening gown!).
Her home is welcoming, whether it’s a caravan, a rented unit, a house in suburbia, or a palace, and provides a shelter from the storms of life. All who enter know that they will leave feeling more rested, uplifted, and refreshed.
A motherly mother doesn’t judge others but accepts them as they are. She is a woman of integrity and keeps her word – those who know her trust her and sing her praises.
I don’t know about you, but I wish the media featured less of the yummy mummy and more of the motherly mothers. Because when it comes to the crunch, who would YOU rather have as your mum, your sister, or your friend – a yummy mummy or a motherly mother? And who would you rather BE?
Who is the most motherly mother you know and what is it that you love about her?!
Linking up with Essentially Jess for IBOT.