I love chatting to older people, I love hearing their stories of times gone by, and I love hearing their perspective on modern life. I chat to people wherever we go, why wouldn’t you?

When my children were very small and we had lots of clinic appointments, I’d chat to all sorts of people in wating room. Whilst at the clinic one day, I got chatting to an elderly lady. She was waiting to have her corns treated she told me proudly – how very delightful!

She was cooing over the minis, who were responding in perfect baby style, stealing her heart as they beamed back at her.

“What is motherhood like?” she said “I never had children myself” …

It was a good question which got me thinking…

Motherhood is so many things… it is middle of the night wake up calls for a nappy change, a glass of water, or a torch or a blanket or a toy or a kiss or something else.

Motherhood is finding enough food to feed a family for a week stuffed behind or underneath a car-seat.

Motherhood is waking up feeling as if you have a hangover when you haven’t touched a drop of alcohol.

Motherhood is not remembering what it’s like to get a full night’s sleep.

Motherhood is cleaning up a range of bodily fluids.

Motherhood is the deepest love you’ve ever known.

Motherhood is hearing the word “why” at least a hundred times a day and most of the time, not having an answer.

Motherhood is being told you are beautiful when you feel like you have been run over by a monster truck.

Motherhood is a warm fuzzy feeling inside.

Motherhood is a huge responsibility.

Motherhood is not being able to go to the toilet on your own.

Motherhood is never having enough hours in the day.

Motherhood is sacrificing your own needs and not caring one bit.

Motherhood is spending lots of money on everyone except you.

Motherhood is accidently squirting breast milk all over your laptop because you are trying to do too many things at once.

Motherhood is knowing, just from putting your lips on your child’s forehead what their temperature is.

Motherhood is dark circles and deflated boobs.

Motherhood is a feeling of intense pride.

Motherhood is opening the fridge or walking into a room and not remembering why.

Motherhood is hearing the words of your own mother, or even grandmother coming out of your mouth, even though you swore you would never let that happen.

Motherhood is brief satisfaction over reaching the bottom of the ironing pile, only to realise it is full again the next day.

Motherhood is brutal.

Motherhood is getting excited about having clean hair, a clean carpet, or both in one day.

Motherhood is living in a constant state of worry.

Motherhood is singing along to your children’s favourite songs after you have dropped them at school and realistically you could put your own music on.

Motherhood is exciting.

Motherhood is never feeling at peace unless all of your children are with you, under your own roof.

Motherhood is using your sleeves to wipe runny noses and your spit to clean dirty faces when you realise you left the wipes at home.

Motherhood is feeling totally overwhelmed.

Motherhood is being able to identify just who is out of bed based solely on the thudding of their feet above you.

Motherhood is intense.

Motherhood is having to ask something twenty times when once should be enough.

Motherhood is priceless.

Motherhood is feeling like you are always failing someone.

Motherhood is a privilege.

Motherhood is when, just as you want to curl up into a ball of exhaustion and desperation, one of your children suddenly does something spontaneously funny which makes you dissolve into a hysterical fit of laughter.

Motherhood is the moment you pause and look at your children; all piled on your bed, cheeky grins all around and remember that the only things that really matter in the world are right there in front of you.

Motherhood is magic!