I'm four weeks into the term at Tully's new swimming class and I sit next to a lovely mum. We chat about everything. I know her kids' names and ages, where they go to kindy, the school she's planning on sending them to, the fact that she went to private school and she's unsure if to go to private or public. I know that she's 32 (but looks 25!) what Halloween costumes her family has worn for the past two years, the theme she's picking for her daughter's first birthday and a whole lot more- but I don't know her name!
On our first day in class we straight away introduced our kids and got chatting- but we never introduced ourselves! Now this would never happen in my work life, the first thing I do is introduce myself- it would be weird not to. I certainly don't go around introducing my colleagues and not myself. So why is it, at a mum, we seem to turn ourselves invisible? I meet mums in every playground across the northern beaches and I don't know their names. I've been taking to Tully to dancing class for 2.5 years and there are still mums there whose names I don't know (and it's a bit too late to ask!)
Now I know that we are all out there in our activewear and old clothes while our children look like models but really, surely we still get to have a name! I'm not sure about you but I'm pretty sure my kids are the least interesting thing about me (well at least I hope so!). I think sometimes we can become so absorbed with being 'mummy' and meeting the needs of our kids that we forget that we are valuable people worth knowing as well.
So the next time you rock up to the park and start chatting with a lovely mum make sure you introduce yourself, not just your kids!
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