In response to the self-portrait mini-task
I wake wake up
I wake my teen
‘Morning here’s your brew’
I get ready
‘I’m leaving in 10 minutes, Do you want a lift?’
There’s a grunt
I drop off my teen at school
I go to work
I speak to school
I speak to social workers
I speak to school
I speak to the doctors
I speak to Emerge
I speak to school
I am still at work
I smile
I play
I change nappies
I text my teen
I get one word answers
Here’s some numbers if you need to talk and don’t want to talk to me
I play
I dance
I change nappies
I go home
I open the door
I call ‘Hi family’
Sometimes I get a reply
I make a cuppa
I take one to my teen
How was your day?
Sometimes I get a reply
I try to communicate
I try to listen
We have dinner
We clear up
I look up demigirl
I sit in my front room alone
The doors are closed
I look at the rubbish project
The rubbish is still there
When I was set the task of a self portrait my first thought OMG I need help, so I talked to my children. They gave me list of things I should have in my picture that says me (as my children see me).
They also gave me massive emotional support, mothers are the ones behind the camera. The list went…cuppa tea, knitting, WI, sewing and “those damn rubbish bottles”. I couldn’t bear the thought of get the bottles back out of the cupboard after hiding them over Christmas!
So knitting and a brew it was. I took loads and got them to pick the best two. Then my selfie queen still wanted to so more so we did a photo shoot in my pjs. I love how she’s captured me. My children are almost all grown up and it was really strange/emotional/amazing to be on the other side of the advice and help.
The Mothers: Life in Lockdown 