'I was lucky to have known people like you...'
As it approaches Mother’s Day it prompts reflection on what our relationships mean to us: whether that be with one’s biological mother; grandmother; step-mother; foster or adoptive mother, or any other influential female who plays a significant part in our lives. For some this may stir up feelings of confusion or sadness. For others this can be a happy time in which to share fond memories and create new ones together. For those young people who were in the care of the Refuges many may not have had a relationship with their mothers. The reasons for a child entering care were varied and complex. Some had faced the trauma of losing their parents at an early age to illness, or were removed from their situation either permanently or on a short-term basis. Regardless of circumstance, we should all have a person in our lives who provides us with the same sureties a mother does, be they female, or indeed, male. So as Mother’s Day approaches we ask ‘what is the role of a mother?’
