Matrescence…have you heard this word before?
I certainly hadn’t. Not until my son was about 10 months old. It is still so much on an unknown term that spell checker doesnt recognise it!
Matrescence. A term coined by anthropologist Dana Raphael in the 1970s. It refers to the complete transformation of a woman as she enters into and moves through Motherhood.
I first heard this term lying in the bath whilst listening to a podcast episode from The Motherkind. I remember seeking an answer to what I was experiencing in Motherhood. I remember feeling lost and asking myself the questions, “is this it? Who even am I now that I am a Mother?”. Then I heard the wonderful Amy Taylor-Kabbaz talk about Matrescence. How it affects a woman on ALL levels. Psychologically, socially, emotionally, physically, spiritually, economically…we really could go on! Every aspect of your being is changed when you become a Mother.
Mamas…I felt alone, but I was not. If you are asking yourself the same questions I did, you are not alone.
You are going through something. It is not in your head. It is huge and affects you on so many levels. I have been there too and am still there. Because our identity as mothers shifts all of the time. There is no end date to being a Mother and your transformational process. It does not end at your 6-week check. Or when your baby turns one, goes to school or leaves home. You are always a Mother and with different stages, different challenges are faced.
My aim is that all mothers and mothers to be heard and know this word. That becomes part of our routine vocabulary when talking about Motherhood. That spell checker recognises it!
I believe that understanding this word, having it part of everyday language, will change the culture of support for Mothers from there on in.
So let’s build on the revolution…who can you share this word with today?
All my love,
Laura
