A Rainbow Mother…
I think it’s a shame Mothers sometimes feel the need to put themselves into camps that end up with us comparing or competing against each other, this is the opposite to what this world needs. I came across something a while ago that resonated greatly with me though.
I was reading a book in which it talked about Mothers expected to be “Earth” Mothers in today’s society, the Earth Mother is the benchmark or how we “should” parent. These are those wonderful women that have maternal instincts in every cell of their bodies, that embody the essence of nurturing their children putting themselves aside. Having done yoga for a long time, being spiritual and having a keen interest in everything holistic I remember a friend saying “You’re going to be an Earth Mother”. I was slightly alarmed! I was pretty sure that was not the type of mother I’d be. In fact my friend who is very different to me is far more of the immersive mother type than I am. Far more what we could class as an Earth Mother.
I’ve sometimes felt guilt about not being an “earth mother” however recently I discovered a new “type” of mother, a description that made me breathe a little sigh of relief.
This mother is a Rainbow Mother.
This type of mother needs to create and stand out from the crowd. She needs to fly free and do things away from her children. she can be the best mother she can be for her children by NOT channeling all her energy and attention into her children. It’s a challenge because as a rainbow mother we are pulled to take care of our children and nurture them and yet we feel pulled in another direction towards whatever else makes us tick. This type of mother wants to inspire in her unique way.
This description is far more like me and some of my friends and clients. I’m so happy I came across this in a book about women connecting to their roots, we aren’t a one size fits all “type” of mother and that’s ok. It’s not that I need approval or a label to define the way I parent however it proves that this cultural perspective we have about motherhood could do with a lot of shifting still. (Along with the role of stay at home dads)
Being a certain type of mother, or parenting in a particular style doesn’t make one better than another. Sometimes I feel people can be very judgemental towards other mothers for the way they parent, it makes me irritated because I understand that we all parent based on our experiences and the way we perceive information and facts, dare I say it’s a bit like politics, there’s a stat or research for most things, if you put us all in a Motherhood Parliament we’d have our own way of doing things. Only this isn’t us governing the country it’s guiding our own children in a way that is authentic to us and the world we want to create for them. So perhaps judgey mothers no matter if you’re more an Earth or a Rainbow mother, need to look in the mirror and question what it is about a different parenting style that offends them and keep their eyes in their own lane without casting dispersions. Motherhood isn’t a label, society is trying to tell us that one is more right than the other in my observations.
Wouldn’t life be boring if we all parented the same? Our children are all unique so we know what they need from us and we know what feels right for us too. Trust in your own instincts and authentic parenting. Our babies chose us for a reason.
I’m not an Earth Mother, I’m more aligned with a Rainbow Mother and that’s ok.
Do you see yourself more of one than the other or perhaps a bit of both? Would love to know your thoughts! Had you head of a Rainbow Mother before?
Xx