Thank You Gift For Mum
She Deserves It
I've recently been drawing a design for Mother's Day and it's come out rather 'unmumsy' is the word for it. It's kinda mum-like in that it has MUM stamped on it, but it's rather rockabilly and in your face aggressive, not really how we picture mums or at least how they are generally portrayed.
What is a mum though eh? It's someone that loves you, is always there no matter what, and who would walk on razor blades for your happiness and safety without feeling on iota of resentment over it.
That's probably the essence of my Mother's Day card design, it's not sweet, it's not cute, it's basically saying "Mum, you're a fucking baddass and I know it, we all know it". Mums are as tough as fuck basically, you don't fully understand what it is to be tough until you're a mum and another human beings life is in your hands and you have to do a good job of it no matter what it costs you emotionally OR physically.
Moments I Was As Tough As Fuck
1. Death. It was the April of 2001 and my mum had just died, I was granted two weeks of personal leave from work to handle my grief. I didn't handle my grief at all, I was unfortunately 6 months pregnant and living in a new home that needed complete refurbishment and I only had three months left to finish it before my own (first) baby came into the world.
So I pushed my grief to the side and spent the entire 2 weeks either up a ladder painting a wall or bent over on the floor dealing with acid reflux as I applied layer upon layer of varnish to newly sanded floors.
In those moments I was tough as fuck, grief had to wait, I had a baby to look after and nothing was more important than getting the house converted from a cat piss soaked former bed-sit into something vaguely resembling a family home.
2. Ambulances. That moment four years later when my 18 month son was having febrile convulsions and I handled my shit without crying once throughout it.
We had to phone the ambulance and sit in it with him, and then sit in the hosipital as he convulsed once more the second he entered the doors.
Despite the abject horror and fear I didn't cry once the entire time because I had shit to handle and needed to stay calm for him and incidentally for my husband too (who did cry by the way). Only once he was asleep in my arms in the hospital once the convulsions had abated and all checks done did I burst into horrified tears.
3. Horrible Life Changes. That time I found out their father had been cheating on me more than once, was thoroughly shocked and traumatised and had to divorce him while still somehow magically remaining his very best friend at the same time, and continuing that good friendship on resolutely for the last 8 years solid.
I did it all for my children, and without them I would never have had the strength to achieve anything like that. My children, some praying, and a whole load of wine.
Children will turn a Woman into a Superwoman. Fact.
Mum's are pretty awesome aren't they. This design is for all the mums still living, and those livin' it up in the afterworld. You can buy it in mum greeting card form, as a mum mug, or on a mum hip flask.
