Mum stories with Book of Everyone

When Book of Everyone asked me to share a story about my mum and what she has done for me that has stood out for their Mother’s Day campaign, I was stumped. Not because she hasn’t done anything, but because… well, where do I start?

My mum has always been a constant in my life – in fact, she’s been the ONLY constant in my life. My mum has been there through my school years, always championing me and doing everything (solo I might add) to make sure that I had all I needed, right through to the births of my children and beyond. Now I’m a mum and I look back at the way I’ve behaved over the years and often wonder how the fuck I am supposed to repay this person who has always been there for me, always championed me… even when I’m being an arsehole.

It’s true what they say, when you are a baby and a young child, your mum is your idol but then you grow and outside influence comes in and by the time you become a young adult, you take them for granted. This person that has clothed you, loved you and looked after your every need without asking for anything in return suddenly becomes the enemy. I remember hurling at my mum “You’re just not letting me be MEEEE” in a moment of teen fuelled rage, though quite frankly I still don’t have a clue who “me” is at nearly 30… but apparently she wasn’t letting me do whatever “me” needed to do at the time. The when you become a mother you suddenly realise that all of the emotions you’re dealing with – the need to protect your little one from harm, the overwhelming love and the struggles – are things that your mother has dealt with too… que one hell of an apology for all of your temper tantrums, sleepless nights and moments of teenage douchebaggery. All the sorry.

I really struggle to think of one time that stands out because there have been so many times when my mum has helped me, uplifted me, inspired me and everything in between.

One of the things that I always think of when I think of my mum is the way in which she has always had an unwavering belief in me and my ability to succeed in anything I put my mind to. Where others have laughed and told me that I’m being unrealistic, my mum has never once doubted anything.

It’s really down to my mum and her unshakable support that I am able to write this to you today. My mum helped me to set up Toby&Roo and told me that I would be successful if I really wanted to be, if I truly dedicated myself to it, I would do it. I remember saying that I wanted to leave work to do this and while everyone else was cautious, my mum was 100% sure that if I had the determination to make the blog enough of a success to leave work then I would be able to “go pro”.

In order to celebrate us mums further, I’ve teamed up with Book of Everyone over on instagram to give you the chance to win a giveaway of one of their personalised Mother’s day books – all you have to do is share a story about your mum with the tag #mumstories and you could win. Go for it!

H x