My first thought upon reading about The Good Mother Project was “that is such a fabulous idea!”. Inspired by own amazing mother, I’ve always been interested in the idea of motherhood as an abstract concept. But that intellectual interest has been all but displaced by own more intimate experience of motherhood since the birth of my daughter in late 2012. Being a mother has made me understand the intense joys, challenges, rewards and difficulties of that role in such a personal, visceral way. I know now that it is impossible to live up the ideal of motherhood that I had constructed before I had to live in that role. And I’ve learned that managing the disappointment and frustration arising from that impossibility is an often difficult challenge.
Navigating the waters of new motherhood, I’ve found that too often there is competition and comparison to be found in discussions of our children, rather than camaraderie, support or encouragement. And while I’m not sure that the competitive spirit is intentional, I am more sure that none of us are seeking that kind of relationship with other mothers. We are looking for support, encouragement and camaraderie. We are looking for a confidante, an adviser or a cheerleader to help reinforce our own sneaking suspicions that yes, we are doing a good job and our children can feel that we love them immensely.
I wanted to be a part of the Good Mother Project because it does exactly that. And so I was incredibly pleased that I was able to participate in the Mother’s Day photo sessions organized by The Good Mother Project, benefiting the Pacific Post Partum Support Society . Taking pictures together with Eran Sudds of eran jayne photography of all of these lovely mothers and their children while raising money for such an important cause was such a wonderful experience. The love that each of these mamas radiated for their children was so clear and true. It was an absolute joy to be able to capture it and to be able to tell them, yes, you are exactly the right mom just as you are.
