By: Michelle Nortje
Anyone who is about to become a parent, or who has friends or family members who have recently had a child, should be aware of the signs and symptoms of perinatal depression.
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By: Michelle Nortje
Anyone who is about to become a parent, or who has friends or family members who have recently had a child, should be aware of the signs and symptoms of perinatal depression.
By: Annette Spurr
Every mother, if she’s honest, will tell you that motherhood is both their greatest honour and hardest struggle. Continue reading “Finding Glimmers of Hope in the Trenches of Motherhood”
By: Jess Drummond
Helen Smallbone has had a remarkable life, marked by leaps of faith, family adventures, internationally-renowned music, and travels spanning many kilometres. Continue reading “Helen Smallbone, ‘Mum’ to 3 Grammy Winners – Releases Her Memoir”
By: McCrindle
There are many people and groups that play an important role in a person’s life – from when they are a child right through to adulthood. Continue reading “Australian Mums on Parenting Generational Alpha”
By: Georgia Free
Sue Brierley has used her own childhood to relate to the hardships faced by her sons, Saroo and Mantosh, and shares her story in ‘Lioness’.
Being a mum is about so much more than biology, as proven by Sue Brierley. Her family’s story was depicted in the blockbuster film Lion, focusing on son Saroo’s quest to find his biological family in India, using Google Earth.
Sue has now written a book called Lioness, detailing the untold story of her own childhood, and she talked to Hope Breakfast about how it shaped her own experience of motherhood.
Sue had a difficult start to life, raised in the Tasmanian hinterland by a violent father and traumatised mother. However, she believes her childhood better equipped her to relate to the hardships faced by her two sons, Saroo and Mantosh, who were adopted from India as young boys, by her and her husband, John.
“I knew very early on that a lot of children have a very difficult start to life,” Sue said.
However, Sue was adamant that her own children would not experience the same pain and neglect she felt from her own parents.
“I’d also had an extended period of time to equip myself with the knowledge. I really took it on as a purpose in a very professional way,” Sue said.
“I certainly put as much effort into the role as I could, by learning.”
Following Saroo’s successful discovery of his hometown and family, Sue was able to reunite with Saroo’s biological mum, Fatima, in India – an experience which both brought her peace, and broadened her perspective of what being a mother involves.
“Being able to meet [Fatima] was such a blessing, because I had the ability to have peace,” Sue said.
“It was [also] a very challenging experience because it [brought] in a whole lot of other dimensions to the relationship of being a mother.”
Ahead of Mother’s Day, Sue insisted that mothering is a role to be shared, and encouraged everyone to look out for the children in their own communities.
Saroo’s journey was immortalised in his book Lion: A Long Way Home and, more famously, in the popular 2016 screen adaptation Lion, starring Dev Patel. Sue, who was played by Nicole Kidman in the film, admitted the experience was challenging for her family.
“Suddenly we are in a world that is not ours. We are in a fantasy world. It places a lot of stress on the family,” she said.
However, Sue saw the film as a vessel to share the story of her family to the world.
“For me it was an opportunity to put out there that there’s a different way of living and being.”
Ahead of Mother’s Day, Sue insisted that mothering is a role to be shared, and encouraged everyone to look out for the children in their own communities.
“We’ve got to mother all the children of the world and share that role. I trust that will be our future.”
Sue’s book Lioness is available now.
Article supplied with thanks to Hope Media.
By: Sabrina Peters
To all the mumma’s out there, this is for you! A standing ovation of praise and gratitude for all your service and sacrifice (most of which is largely unseen), a big warm hug from one tired woman to another and a perspective-shifting injection of His beautiful word over your life. Continue reading “7 Verses to Uplift a Mother’s Heart”
By: Jennie Scott
When I was a little girl, all I wanted to be was a mother. Sure, I played around with being a marine biologist (who knew you had to be good at science?!), and I would teach school to my dolls and stuffed animals. Continue reading “To the Mum Who Thought She’d Be Better at Mothering”
By: Jenny Baxter
How did Anna know what to do with her screaming baby? By trusting her motherly intuition – and with a little help from her Mamma!
I knew it in my gut I wanted to be a mum. In fact, pre-kids I used to say I wanted five children!
Continue reading “Anxious Motherhood: My Ducks Were In A Row”
By: McCrindle
The median age of new mothers and mothers is on the rise as they pursue more qualifications, work more, and are in more full-time jobs.
Continue reading “The Rise of Smart Mummies”