The word you might not have heard - that changes how we view Motherhood.
Image used from Michelle Battersby from Peanut.
Matrescence.
As I write the word out that has changed every last one of my clients (and my own) experience of Motherhood -still appears the red squiggly line underneath telling me - That isnt a word! Still unrecognized. Still not supported. But that is soon to change.
Behind the scenes of the mainstream, in academic, anthropological & therapeutic circles; Matrescence has been spoken about. Women all over the world have been learning, educating & supporting other women about the word & through their experiences of becoming Mothers.
And this month - something huge has happened.
The Motherhood social app Peanut & the global children’s supplies company Tommee Tippee have teamed up to launch a campaign to #makematrescencemainstream. The adverts appeared all over the New York Times, in the UK projected onto the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art and the Gateshead Millennium Bridge, the internet & social media. The world is starting to talk about Matrescence.
If you’ve never heard it before ; you’re not alone. It’s the process of becoming a mother. Not just physically… but emotionally, mentally, socially, professionally, culturally, economically, hormonally and even spiritually.
A complete identity shift. And yet, most of us go through it without ever having the language for what’s happening.
This campaign aims to gather enough signatures to add the word Matrescance to all mainstream dictionaries. with the idea that once the word is officially recognized, it will be supported. Women will be supported. Funding can be provided for further research and exploration of what Mothers experience in our world today when they become mothers.
The conversations are happening…
Over the past month, I’ve been watching this conversation slowly move into the mainstream. Which feels exciting. It feels like something we have been explaining and educating on for what seems like a very long time - is now being spoken about widely. As a Matrescence facilitator & coach - this is music to my ears. The noise created by this campaign has made Matrescence a daily conversation as part of mainstream culture. The word has gone "viral" causing more conversations and giving more women a voice for what they may be experiencing.
Because what I see — both in The Mothership community and also in my coaching, is that so many women aren’t struggling with motherhood itself…They’re struggling with who they are within it.Yet this entire process is still rarely spoken about. We are not prepared for it, and therefore when it happens- we can feel a little (or a lot) - well, lost.
But maybe this is the next step in preparing the next generation of Mothers. By preparing & expecting the changes - are we paving the way for happier calmer and more connected Mothers?
If you would like to help to Make Matrescence Mainstream… you can sign the petition here.