The Comforting Mum

This season of my life has been one of the hardest, but also one of the most revealing. And through it all, the greatest lessons in strength have come from my daughters.

Would you believe this isn’t my first time experiencing homelessness? The first time, my eldest was just three. I was working full-time, and with the support of my family, I managed to find a one-bedroom place and keep things afloat. Even then, I was navigating a difficult relationship, but I convinced myself that staying with their father — even while living separately — was the right thing to do. I ignored my gut. I silenced my needs. I chose to keep the peace rather than protect my peace.

Looking back now, I realize I didn’t stay because I didn’t love him — I stayed because I didn’t love myself enough yet to walk away.

Now, years later, I find myself in a similar situation — but this time, it’s harder. There’s no cushion. No backup plan. No full-time job. Just me, my daughters, and an overwhelming amount of uncertainty. And yet… something feels different.

This time, I’m choosing myself.
And my daughters are watching me do it.

My youngest, just three, asks me every morning, “Are you happy now, Mummy?”
And honestly, I’m not sure how to answer — but I’m trying.

They cheer me on while I try to get healthy. They eat the last sweets so I don’t give in. They pray for me at night, thanking God for the tiniest things I manage to provide.
They see it all — the good days, the hard ones, the tears I try to hide — and still, they choose me.

I offered them the chance to live with their father — where they’d have beds, toys, baths, and comfort. And yet, they cried. They wanted to stay with me in this struggle.
That choice alone gave me the strength I didn’t know I had.

They are homeless too. They are living through this too. But you’d never know it from their smiles. They’re so full of light, love, and laughter — and in them, I see a reflection of my own resilience.

Every day, they remind me: I must keep going. For them. For me. For the version of myself that’s still learning how to love herself.

In the middle of our hardest season, I’ve seen them find joy in the smallest things, laughter in the quietest corners, and bravery in situations far beyond their years. They remind me every day that strength isn’t about having it all together — it’s about showing up, even when it’s hard. Their resilience, their innocence, their ability to adapt and still love so freely — that’s the kind of strength I carry with me now. I thought I was the one teaching them how to be strong, but the truth is, they’re the ones teaching me.

Sometimes, strength doesn’t look like standing tall — it looks like waking up and choosing to keep going when you have every reason to give up. My daughters are living proof that love, even in the hardest seasons, can still bloom.

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Affirmation

Even in struggle, I am a safe place, a guiding light, and a source of strength for my children. We are not just surviving — we are becoming.

Signed,

The Comforting Mum 🤎