What does being a mum mean to me?

Earlier this evening, I was lying on the bean bags watching a little bit of television with my two year old daughter and the answer to that question came to me. She got up and threw herself at me, put her arms around my neck and said; "that's my mummy! I love my mummy!"

It's those special moments that make being a mummy so incredibly amazing.

I love the way she often says "that's my mummy" and the way she puts her hands either side of my face so that I have her full attention.  I love the feeling of her little hand in mine when we go anywhere.  The way she runs and throws herself at me when I go to pick her up from playgroup and hugs me as hard as she can.

As your children grow older, the urgency of their love of you can lessen but that doesn't mean that they love you any less.  They just show it in different ways.  You have to look for the small things. The gestures that show how important you are in their little worlds. The cuddles, the kisses, the "I love you's"are great, but often there are other signs.

My six year old can be a challenge but whenever he does or says anything, always looks at me for approval. He has the lovliest smile which you can easily find if you talk to him about something he loves. When we bought into Sky Sports recently, he cried with absolute joy and told me I was the best mummy in the world and that he loved me so much.

My eight year old is a very loving and cuddly boy. The joy I have with him is seeing how confident and happy he has become after a difficult start to his school life three years ago.  He will talk and talk and talk some more about the things he has enjoyed at school, a good book that he has read, a football match he has played or seen.  Just engaging with him is a pleasure and the early morning snuggles when he is sleepy and warm are amazing.

My sixteen year old is very mature and independent, taller than me and thinks that he is much wiser than me too.  I am so proud of him.  He has worked really hard at school and is doing exceptionally well.  Moments of affection are rare as that is often not the way teenagers like to express themselves.  But he worries about me in his own little way, he is the first to notice if I'm down or upset and in turn he comes to me for cuddles when he is upset. 


Being a mum is not always easy and there will always be challenges along the way with each stage of their development.  Children will take you for granted, that goes without saying. You are always there for them, so they will take their bad day out on you, they will push the boundaries with you and you will have times when you wonder what you're doing wrong.


My four children are fantastic and it is rare that a day goes by when I don't consider how lucky I am. For those people whose lives aren't blessed with children, I feel really sorry as my days are filled with laughter, love and life. We have off days. All children are challenging at times and we have been through some tough times, but we come through them generally unscathed.

Cancer is a terrible thing that can rip families apart.  A friend of my mum's recently discovered that not only had her two year old daughter got a tumour at the back of her eye, she was also blind in that eye.  The family are just starting to peice their lives back together and the mother has found out she has breast cancer.  The outcome of that story is yet to play out, but I certainly hope that they pull through.  Another friend's sister in law has breast cancer and is now undergoing new treatment, which is her last chance.  She has three young children. Stories like that make me want to pull my children close and never let them go.  If we haven't been affected by cancer ourselves, we all know people who have.

For me being a mummy is the most amazing thing that could have ever happened to me. I feel blessed. It's better than winning the lottery. 

I have written this post in support of Clic Sargent's Yummy Mummy Week to raise awareness and support children and young people with cancer.  It is an amazing cause and if you wnat to find out more have a look at the website http://www.yummymummy.org.uk/ or if you want to help raise awareness by joining in with the writing prompts go over to Typecast and each Monday in February there will be a set of writing prompts to inspire you.