Lynchpin of the family

During the past week I had a very interesting conversation with a young woman. She is the mother of 5 children, ranging in age from 1 to 10 years, and she is home schooling!

The week before had been an especially difficult one for her and the rest of us living in the province of KwaZulu Natal which was burned and pillaged in a fashion that left us all reeling.

So one evening she had reached the end of her tether and left a devoted Dad to serve supper to the kids, get them bathed and ready for bed, and eventually into bed for the night. It didn’t go too well for anyone as the littlies wanted their mother and Dad was simply not coping on his own. As she lay in bed trying to keep out of the mess and get the necessary rest, she realised that the well-being of the family really did rest on her primarily, and that she needed to take a step back and look at her own health and well-being so that she could be there for her husband and kids.

That reminded me of an analogy that I sometimes use: when you are about to fly somewhere the cabin crew are required by law to point out various safety procedures for the passengers to understand and follow when necessary. One of the instructions is what to do in the event of a loss of cabin pressure – oxygen masks will drop down for every passenger on board. But the significant instruction is to put your own mask on first before helping anyone else, including your children. The reason for this, of course, is that if you, a care-giver, pass out you are of no use to anyone, and become a liability yourself.

So this August, which is set aside as women’s month, I invite you to consider some ways in which you need to look after your own health and well-being so that you can take your rightful place in your family and the world at large. 

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