Women’s Day: Representation in Motherhood

Rupi Kaur’s words in her Homebody (Pg 164) have struck a cord, and inspired this post

It is 2021, and we are celebrating International Women’s Day. There are so many voices sharing and advocating about women’s rights. There are voices that celebrate the beauty and power of women. Voices that advocate for the education for girls around the world. Voices that celebrate the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women. And rightfully so. But where are the voices that celebrate diversity in motherhood on this Women’s Day?

Allow me to backtrack a little here. I am a Canadian mom. Just like other moms, I attempt to feed my kids organic food and feel guilty when it ends up being drive through meals. I’ve forgotten about crazy hair day and pretended that sending them with their unbrushed bed head was part of the plan. I’ve logged in at 7 am to get them their spot for swimming/gymnastics/music/soccer programs because what kind of parent am I if I don’t expose them to every activity?

I am like any other mother who is doing my best. Yet, I still don’t see myself represented in so many spaces for mothers. Where is the diverse representation of mothers who are Black, Brown, Asian, Trans and Indigenous alongside their white counterparts? Where is the space that claims to represent motherhood that actually shows up for all of us? I have to be honest here. I’ve been momming for almost 16 years, and I haven’t found it yet.

2020 was a year where we learned to raise our voices and claim our spaces. We vowed to be better and to make room for others, to advocate for those voices that are so often silenced. Yet I still don’t see this happening in the space for motherhood? Our learnings need to apply here too. Is it because as women we feel that our own, hard fought space will be taken?

For this Women’s Day, I urge us as women, to reflect what voices we support and what space we give to others. There is space for all of us, sometimes we have to do more than just send the invitation. Sometimes we have to move over to let the extra chair fit in.

This. There is enough space for all of us. Allowing one of us to enter the space doesn’t mean it has to take away from yours. Pg. 161