“Having recently been struck down with what seems to be the eternal winter cold, I was at home channel surfing, trying to find something to escape into for a couple of hours, when I came across the film “Mother’s Day” produced by Garry Marshall.
Have you seen it? Light hearted entertainment ✓Heart strings pulled ✓ Laughs ✓
The film itself struck a chord with me in how it expertly navigated its way through blended families, tackling interfaith marriages, re-marriages, step parenting and even adoption. It took me on an emotional rollercoaster, injected with humour, playing out many scenarios that are often evident on special days such as mothers and fathers day and the emotions felt by parents following separation. It also tacked some of the everyday challenges of co-parenting.
It intelligently depicted how children, desperate to please all the parents in their lives, including stepparents, could feel conflicted. The film sensitively handled this with Jennifer Aniston’s character making the decision to split Mother’s Day with her former spouse and his new wife. Although not an easy decision to make, she could see that it was the best outcome for the children.
With Mother’s Day fast approaching it seems as good a time as any to consider these issues and explore how Mother’s Day can continue to be a good day following separation. All mums work hard for their children and following separation this doesn’t change. In many cases, mums need to work even harder and make uncomfortable decisions to ensure that her children’s needs are put ahead of her own. In modern families, this includes interacting with multiple sets of parents. How adults engage with each other will often set the tone for how these complex relationships develop and progress.
Here are a few top tips on how to navigate your way to an enjoyable Mother’s Day:
