A letter to my mother at my age

Mum even manages to make a penguin jumper look cool

Mum, I've always wondered what it would be like to be you at my age. At 29, you’ve got a 10-month old baby and living with your parents. I’m guessing you’re feeling more than a little freaked out about being a single parent and feeling more than a little pissed towards my dad at the moment. But on the upside you're looking smoking' hot, as photos of you will attest. If or when I’m a mum myself, I intend to crack out the red lipstick and spritz on the Rive Gauche as you did, come hell or high water.

You and dad were never a match made in heaven. But further down the line, you become good friends and do a great job together as parents, even though you’re from vastly different worlds and different backgrounds. Despite no longer being a couple, you bring great value to each other's lives and are extremely caring and supportive together.

The next few years are going to be difficult, you’re going to feel a little lost as you see other ‘perfect families’ with dads, complaining about how your life isn’t like theirs.

But you, your own mother and I, we’re like a perfect little family in our own way, although it may not seem like it at the moment. We manage to have fun the three of us, in our little flat. Although things might seem up in the air and you have down days when you don’t want to get out of bed, as a mum you’re going to do an amazing job.

  

As the decades pass, you and that relentlessly wailing infant become close friends. While many daughters avoid telephoning their mothers and are embarrassed by their parents'  dowdy appearance, she's immensely proud of you and always enjoys calling you up.  You’re a good laugh and ‘get’ her more than anyone else. Even when your own mother isn’t around anymore, you both go on to cherish that little family unit you once were, even though you're both now part of a bigger family. 

You have another daughter a decade later with the person who is your soul mate. You give your children hope that happy marriages do exist and teach them never to 'settle' for anything less. You never let them feel that they’ve failed you in any way. Your second daughter is just like you, drawing people to her with a magnetic personality and vibrant energy that I’ve always been in awe of. 

So enjoy being 30, you’ve got some fantastic years to come.