By Kelly Seymour

 

This is Kelly AKA Cult of Youth, designer and maker of the famous “Mama Chain” and single parent to, total dude, Elvis (he came out the womb with his lip curled like The King). She is a truly gorgeous human inside and out and is effortlessly stylish and she also has a tattoo on her arm that I absolutely swoon over.

Here is here insightful Guest List: ‘What I wish I’d known before becoming a Single Parent’:

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• That a three-month-old can fart and starfish in bed as much as the next man. 

• That you are enough. You will be a good mum. And if you need to be, a good dad too.

• That it takes a village. It can be a lonely game this mama lark. Let them in. 

• Anyone that’s judging your decisions isn’t a pal of yours and therefore irrelevant. Make it feel good and give zero monkeys what that looks like. 

• Men will still fancy you. You are now a tigress. Who can blame em?! 

• You can pay someone to deal with your Mother In Law. 

• That things are hard but very soon will be infinitely magical. 

• You have good taste in push presents. You definitely also think you deserve it. 

• You may never shave your legs again. 

• Get tough. New mama skin is sensitive. Especially when it feels like not everybody is on the same team as you. 

• You will have to handle mini willies on your own. 

• You WILL become insta-obsessive. 

• It is now more important than ever you retain a part of pre-mama you. Solo parenting comes with a lot of responsibilities. One of them is maintaining a bit of self care. For your own sanity and those around you. Which leads me to…

• You don’t have to do it all. If you need help then ask for it! It doesn’t make you an incompetent mother, it makes you a bloody good one. (Plus it keeps Nana happy.)

• And finally…no-one is going to give you a medal (*shameless plug* a mama chain is the closest you’re going to get!!) Some people are assholes, even when you’ve given birth, and yes it is hard. But you are so more than enough and you have a new best friend who actually thinks you’re pretty wonderful. Oh and that sisterhood….it’s worth more than penis gold.

And, in her note to me she also added: “I think what I really realised when trying to write this was that parenting is hard whether you are on your own/married/young etc. All babies teeth and cry and poo on the bed”.  SO true.

We are all in it together folks… through the ‘shit day’s and the ‘this is the best job in the world days.’