16/03/2026
Last week my son turned 10. 🥹😮💨
The night before his birthday my inner world was in complete turmoil.
Panic and anxiety, A feeling of I can’t fu***ng breathe… why can’t I breathe?
It felt like time was running out.
Like I was watching sand fall through an egg timer and there was nothing I could do to stop it. I held my boy and cried, feeling like he was slipping away from me. A real panic of how do I slow this down?
I said to him,
“I love that you’re growing and becoming your own person, but I wish I could slow down time a little… it’s going too fast.”
He cried and said,
“I wish it would slow down too.”
So I held him and said something that felt really important in that moment.
“I’m always going to be your mum. I’m always going to be here for you. Unconditionally. Always.”
And then something clicked.
Growing up I was surrounded by the belief that parenting had an expiry date.
Comments like
“They’re only my problem until they’re 18.”
“Only a few more years and they’ll be adults and can sort themselves out.”
So from 18… I was alone.
If I’m being honest, I felt alone long before that.
There was no going to my parents for advice, a pep talk, a listening ear, or a shoulder when life got heavy.
Even as an adult, when I’ve asked my dad for guidance, the response has been the same. “They’re only your problem until they’re 18.”
But I’m parenting differently.
I’m emotionally available.
I’m present.
I don’t judge my babes when they need help or understanding.
We have deep conversations about life and everything in between. And I hope they always know they can come home.
Because love doesn’t have an expiry date.
Our time together doesn’t end when they turn 18.
If anything, a new chapter begins.
Do I get it right all the time?
Absolutely not.
But I’m learning.
Growing.
Evolving.
And I’m doing it openly. 🫶🏼🖤
