Mother’s Day, Family Time and Food for Thought

| Rohana Aisha Dewfall

Mothers Day – my weekend away

This weekend I travelled to Cardiff to see family and basically procrastinate my presentation. Of course, in Britain its mothers day today so the weekend has tied in nicely with celebrating and having some quality time with my Great Aunt and her daughter… to make life easier I’ll call them G and Aunty K.

I’ve spent the weekend with Aunty K and her family who have super busy lives so it has been pretty non-stop but also a really nice change. The kids are very intelligent and curious, and parents work hard with G being here to help out – I’ve grown up with them so it’s always nice to catch up but really its the first time I’ve been to their house. We might be in the same country but schedules can conflict and even though it’s only 3 hours away by train, it’s still a bit of a trek so inevitably with assessments and bump growing I’ve made excuses. That said, I am glad I finally made the time.

To top things off, Cardiff has had one of it’s rare weekends of sun so yesterday we had a girls day out and rather than cinema or shop we spent a few hours walking around making the most of the weather.

I have really missed my mum this weekend though!
And my Nani (grandma) too actually. We don’t have a lot in common but my Nani is like a second mum at times, and we were quite close when I was younger so it would have been wonderful to spend the day with the both of them.

I am looking forward to going home in just over a week! It is seriously brilliant that the term has ended, though it also means that I am much farther along in the pregnancy and I can’t quite comprehend how quickly everything has happened.

I think eventually I’ll dedicate an entire post to my mum because our relationship is not one I can sum up in a few words; she is the most wonderful person and I have a lot to thank her for. I am a little gutted that I couldn’t celebrate her this weekend but I will definitely do my best when I am home – she deserves it!

Food for Thought

They have some really good basic rules here which I like. I’m sure there are loads more because the place runs like a well oiled machine but from what I’ve seen I think I’d like to steal and adapt these:
No phones at the table
Family board-game every Saturday
Adults need time to themselves in the evening 
I definitely want to lead by example and have no phones at mealtime… even though sometimes it’s a little annoying, it makes a big difference to the conversation. Also the family board-game idea is wonderful because again it is cultivating this idea of family time being an essential part of the week…
Homework is a priority here and that is to me a no-brainer! I have always appreciated the persistence of my parents in encouraging my academic life and I intend to do the same with my children. I also like the idea of being involved the way my parents were so that they know what school is like. By the time bump goes to school the system will have completely evolved from what I went through so it’s a good way to keep up to date.
Another thing I really love is the influence of music. The kids are all at some level focused on an instrument or their voice and I think it’s super important… personally I have no musical talent though I love to sing, but my brother is very musical and I want to encourage that in bump and whatever siblings he ends up with.  That said, he’s kicking as I write so maybe he likes the idea!
 
It’s by no means a perfect household… and some aspects of the tight ship are not ever going to be a possibility for us and our little family but I do aspire to having kids that are as ambitious as these guys; they work hard and it pays off.
I guess really I can’t plan too far ahead, but I do want to build a solid foundation of trust and openness and appreciation of family time. I see technology advancing and look back at my childhood – I might only be 20 but the world has changed a lot and I do in some ways fear becoming lazy because technology is such an easy solution for entertainment etc
Alas, we cannot predict the future so whatever will be, will be…

Am I a mum yet?

Even more than enjoying the day and missing my mum, I have been hit with the realisation that next year, I will have my own son to celebrate with. He may be too little to have a clue what the day is but I never imagined myself celebrating it at 21.

Aunty K actually gave me a card and little pressie because I’m ‘joining the mum club’ and in some ways, even though my baby is still small and nestled safely inside me, I do feel like a mum. Every time he moves I am reminded of the little miracle inside me… my husband say’s it doesn’t count but I believe it does. I love my baby already so much and even though I haven’t held him, I am a mum-to-be and while it scares me it also is the most wonderful feeling.

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