Pondering my
previous post about what the right tools are for a happy life, it occurred to me that surrounding yourself with positive and supportive people is so important. Reflecting on some lovely friends I have across the world, reminded me of seeing my friend
Tasha in a workshop of
The Good Enough Mums Club just before leaving the UK.
I expect this workshop was a little different from the show
Smash, not only was it paid, but only Mum's were considered to audition, and childcare costs were supported too!
Monologue driven, there are loads of laugh-out-loud moments. I'll never look at
Mr Bloom quite the same way again, and Calpol (paracetamol) has forever been renamed "sweet, sweet nectar". But it was from the second song, that I started sobbing and pretty much didn't stop for the rest of the show.
 |
Yes, that is a tampon up her nose.
This has only hit home since Pickle's
own discovery recently (see below)... |
The show is brutally honest, in ways only your closest friends will ever be. The second number is all about how each Mum considers all the other Mums are coping really well, and they are the only one struggling with self-doubt, sleep deprivation, and wondering if they are a good enough Mum for their precious little one. While you don't have to be a parent to appreciate this play, to understand the depth of self criticism and worry, it certainly helps. Having the support of, and inspiration from, trusted friends is invaluable. I needed this support with Pickle's lack of sleep (he slept through the night for the first time last night, at 16-months old; and for a while there I was getting a combined total of 5.5 hours of broken sleep a night), but the support has never been more necessary since becoming a single Mum.
Leaving some of those friends behind in London has been truly difficult and painful, but my SilverLining is the friends I still have in Australia (not least Bubba & Nanna, Pickle's Grandmothers), and the new friends I already seem to have been lucky enough to discover.
So when
The Good Enough Mums Club premieres in London, and it will, because it's frankly just brilliant, I strongly encourage you to hurry and see it (and make it such a huge success that it makes its way to Australia, so I can see it again, please!).
Cheers, KangaRue :)
Thank you so much for such a wonderful, encouraging and supportive post! I'm so glad you enjoyed the show - it's been an incredible experience to write & I hope we'll be able to bring it over to Oz to see you! xoxo
ReplyDeleteI'm not a mother but loved the title of this. I have enough friends who've had kids and read enough blog posts to know that almost every parent goes through the 'I'm a crap mother/father' thought (perhaps daily!).
ReplyDeleteTechnology can have its downside, but I cannot help but think that there are many benefits and being able to share how you feel (with those you know AND strangers) can be very liberating and supportive. The show sounds very much the same - sharing those thoughts we think we shouldn't - only to find others feel the exact same way!