Mother figures
With a week to go until Mothering Sunday and the rush to get our candles out to as many deserving Mums as possible the idea of Motherhood has been on my mind a lot this week. I figure that the construct of motherhood is more of a feeling than a definition, if you feel like a Mother, then you are in my book. There are so many types of Mother figures and we need to celebrate them all, and not just on one day of the year – but it’s a good place to start!
Think about all the different types of Mums out there, or “Mam” as my Irish husband calls my mother-in-law. Whether the Mother figure in your life calls themselves a step-mum, a grandma, an auntie mummy (as my niece calls my sister), a cat mum, or even a drag mother – they all deserve a shout out and some celebration.
My own Mum, Angela, is always deserving, particularly after supporting and putting up with me through my terrible teens and wild early twenties (I grew up gay in Brighton, what can I say!). She was always fighting for me when others would have given up, something I am forever grateful for as its inheriting that grit and determination that’s made me who I am today.
My Mum
She soon had the chance to get her own back on me though with her own antics which have only become wilder the older we’ve all become. Like convincing us to take her clubbing in Manchester’s Canal Street for her 50th – cue champagne cocktails, faux (windup) lap dances for my husband to be and ogling every sixpack in sight!
Photo above: Me and Mum after she's just told me a dirty joke
So thank you Mum. Thank you for putting up with me spraying your perfume liberally growing up, and letting me continue doing so well into adulthood on every visit, not only making me smell fabulous but helping spark my life long love affair with perfume and all things fragrance. Finally, thank you for your endless encouragement as I continue to work on establishing Crosskey Avenue and making sure it’s a brand you’re proud to put your name to.
Love and candlelight, Howard