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Mum’s the Label

A person close to me said ‘well you’re a housewife now’ and I was disappointed to hear this but I also have been looking at everything that’s been produced that puts mums and women into categories, though the latter I’ll save for another poem.

There’s so much written on working mums, stay at home mums, studying mums, in fact anything that could put a mum into a category. I also see people label themselves as this and I think, why are we doing this to ourselves? The more these articles are written, the more these roles, that don’t capture us, are carved out.

These casts seek to enslave us and by acknowledging them we give them power. 

Personally I think we are greater than the sum of one thing and what we’re capable of is ever changing and unknown.

Mum’s the label

‘You’re a housewife now’. She says judgmentally. As if I’ve dropped status monumentally. Click To Tweet

‘You’re a housewife now’. She says judgmentally.

As if I’ve dropped status monumentally.

I think, is your opinion worth a reply?

Do I put my focus on your small-minded eye?

Am I? Because I’m still figuring me out.

Do you have to be so rigid on life’s roundabout?

Then here I am in the age-old debate,

Fuelled by another woman, now that’s a mistake.

Here you are trying to define me, why bind me?

And join the crap that starts from when a girl’s a baby.

Are you a working mum? Is that all you are?

Of course not. So don’t make me reach to burn my bra.

Why would you want to put a cap on what we do?

Unless you want to help bring down our value?

Here’s a circling debate that bores me to tears,

Let’s hope every limiting title disappears.

We’re not one thing and I can’t sum up in rhyme,

How making labels is a waste of our time.

So I’m a housewife but that’s not the end

There’s a list, commas no stop because I transcend.

Mama Grace

 

This post first appeared on http://www.meetothermums.com

 

 

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Published inPoem for the Day

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24 Comments

  1. This is fabulous – the sentiment, the message and the poem. Great to stumble across your blog, I will definitely pop back. When I became a mother I also became a blogger to try and dissect who I had become. And I gradually realised that even though I am Mummy to one person, I am still me. #StayClassyMama

    • Thank you. What a journey we take! I feel like I’m getting a window into so many wonderful women’s lives by reading other blogs. It’s inspiring.

  2. I’ve always been denied being a housewife – I’m so not stereotypical enough! I always said I was an undomesticated goddess! Lovely poem. #pocolo

  3. Yes I don’t like this label either, people look down on you when you class yourself as a housewife whereas if you’re a house husband then you are like god. It’s completely wrong. #thatfridaylinky

  4. “So don’t make me reach to burn my bra.” You go girl! Tell her! People can be so rude! Nuff said before I boil! lol! Thanks for linking up with us on #FabFridayPost xx

  5. diynige diynige

    Excellent and totally right Thank you for linking to #ThatFridayLinky Please come back next week

  6. Another fab poem – and I agree about the labels. It seems that it’s a way of pitching us against each other, whatever label we are. Surely we’re all just women in it together? Thanks for sharing with #PoCoLo

  7. Lovely to stumble across your blog via #TriumphantTales! If you haven’t, you should read Rhyming With Wine who is also a mum that writing poems ☺️ I loved yours and it does irritate me how labels are assumptions are made. I’m a teacher, I work part time for three days a week yet so many people say “oh you only work three days” as if that’s easy to do as well as having a three year old and being pregnant with baby 2!

    • Lovely to have you read me. I too love Dawn’s poems, they’re so witty and comforting. If you’re a teacher who works 3 days then that means after all the planning and paperwork you’re full time. It’s a wonder you’ve time to make another child! Congratulations! You enjoy that maternity leave.

  8. Totally, totally agree! I love this! I’m a part time working mum and part time stay at home mum, so what on earth I am, no one knows!! Thanks so much for linking this up to #DreamTeam!

  9. This is absolutely brilliant and I agree with every single word. Let’s stop labeling people as if we are all 2 dimensional! What a waist of time and energy! Thank you for sharing with #StayClassymama

  10. “There’s a list, commas no stop because I transcend.”
    I like the last line because it applies to labels period. However, if we change our perception of what that label means or limits us to, then it’s just a word and the issue lies with the one still left holding on, not us.

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