Motherhood, with its ups and downs, also boasts many beautiful and life-changing benefits. We caught up with Sam Geel and Jane Linley-Thomas to chat about the joys and challenges they\u2019ve experienced; the lessons they\u2019ve learned from their moms, and the love they have for their kids.<\/p>\n
Sam Geel<\/strong><\/p>\n
With a full-time corporate marketing career and co-owner of The Flower Farm in Monteseel, mother of three Sam Geel says she is grateful to have the most incredible partner who takes care of packing lunches and doing school runs.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving a supportive partner makes being a working mom so much less stressful, and Dale lovingly takes care of all the mom duties that I simply cannot get to. I often wonder how single working moms manage to do it all!\u201d<\/p>\n
As mom to a pigeon pair, 11-year old Nixon and Sailor who is 12, and stepmom to 13-year-old Taya, Sam reflects on motherhood at a young age in many different ways.<\/p>\n
\u201cI was 22 when I had Sailor and 24 when I had Nixon, so I didn\u2019t really have too much time to think about motherhood. Having children so young changed my path, but it has been a real adventure raising them. This is my opportunity to raise children who will bring light and goodness into the world, and become adults who will make a positive impact on people and the planet. And the bonus is that I will only be 43 when they are both finished school!\u201d<\/p>\n
Speaking about the joys of being a mom, Sam says that she could write a book on this.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s all of the drawings and letters, the hugs and kisses, singing in the car, the jokes, witnessing their kindness, hearing their laughter but most of all, looking into two little faces that look exactly like mine!\u201d<\/p>\n
What she loves most about all three children is that they love sharing and, as a team, they embody kindness and compassion.<\/p>\n
\u201cIf anything, this has made our household a more remarkable space to share! I parent each child according to their individual needs and, my children are beautiful beings. I love Nixon\u2019s empathy and incredibly dry sense of humour.\u00a0 I love Sailor\u2019s genuine kindness, no-nonsense attitude and her perfect balance of brains and beauty. And I love and truly admire Taya\u2019s tenacity and work ethic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Is it a walk in the park raising tweens\u00a0and a\u00a0teenager?<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course it is \u2026 it\u2019s like Jurassic Park, except, the park is on fire and the dinosaurs are zombies that are all after snacks and asking where their shoes are,\u201d says Sam laughing out loud. \u201cLet me tell you, there is nothing about parenting an 11, 12 and 13-year-old simultaneously that is not challenging.\u00a0 If you like mess and noise and hate sleep, I would highly recommend this!\u201d<\/p>\nSam with Sailor, Taya and Nixon. Photo: Amy White: DoubleTake Multimedia; Venue: The Flower Farm<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Reflecting on her childhood, Sam says what she admired most about her own mom was her formidable patience.<\/p>\n
\u201cShe honestly deserves a crown for the level of chaos she endured with my siblings and me. There was an eight-year age gap between each child. In 2012, my dear mother decided that she needed to illustrate a very important point to us all, which was that if you put your mind to something, you can achieve it. Having made her point, at the age of 50, she ran her first Comrades Marathon and finished it in medal time. Her sheer audaciousness and determination have always been inspirational to me\u201d.<\/p>\n
Even in her youth, Sam says that she always listened to her mom\u2019s words, warnings and advice.<\/p>\n
\u201cI still do. And as I\u2019ve moved through motherhood, I\u2019ve always had my mom at the back of my mind. I\u2019ve also learned my own lessons, as I\u2019ve negotiated the joys and challenges of being a parent, and come up with my own pearls of wisdom that I would like to impart with them. I tell them often that if they want their pocket money, they must earn it. If they want the marks at school, they need to work for them. If they have a dream or goal, they need to reach for it. And in adulthood, if you\u2019ve got the vision, you\u2019ve got the job!\u201d<\/p>\n
And the things she\u2019s looking forward to most about motherhood in the years to come?<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything! Although dealing with all their heartbreaks from future boyfriends and girlfriends is something I am dreading, and someone might need to restrain me! But in all honesty, from the day I became a mom, I learnt to celebrate everything \u2026 every small achievement, every birthday, anniversary or milestone, every Valentine\u2019s Day, Easter, Spring Day, Halloween, Christmas. Any chance we get to celebrate, we do! And that includes Mother\u2019s Day!<\/p>\n
In Sam\u2019s household, Mother\u2019s Day generally involves a lot of handmade cards, hugs and something the kids have baked, followed by breakfast they would have prepared, under some level of supervision.<\/p>\n
\u201cI won\u2019t lie, a spa day and a light shopping spree would be first prize, but failing that, breakfast in bed followed by a day off would be fantastic.\u00a0 To be brutally honest, all I am hoping to get is some rest.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sam says the finite time they have together on this earth should be spent filled with love and joy and just celebrating life. And if she can teach her children anything, it\u2019s the value of kindness, compassion and caring, \u201cnot just for people, but for animals and the earth.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t want to wish their young lives away, but seeing them grow into happy, successful adults and finding their place and purpose is what I most look forward to. And watching my children wholeheartedly love and take care of each other, means my work is (just about) done.\u201d<\/p>\nJane with her brood, Cooper, Rocco and Lula. Photo Amy White: DoubleTake Multimedia; Hair: PRIYA HARILALL; Venue: The ReJoyce Collection<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
Jane Linley-Thomas <\/strong><\/p>\n
\u201cEvery one of us has learned something from our mothers over the years and chances are it stems from one of their many pearls of wisdom. While we might not have understood them at the time, as we\u2019ve got older they\u2019ve all made sense,\u201d says Jane, a self-dubbed storyteller, magic maker, playful disrupter and passionate East Coast Radio DJ, who is also the co-founder of The KindnessCan Movement and the creative heart behind The ReJoyce Collection.<\/p>\n
As a hands-on mom with an energetic, creative and curious trio of kids \u2013 12-year-old Cooper and twins Rocco and Lula, who are 10 \u2013 Jane\u2019s days are full, fast and busy. The alarm clock stands to attention at 5.30am and it\u2019s go, go, go until the early evening, but she loves life this way.<\/p>\n
\u201cI always wanted to be a mom. Even when I was a child I mothered other kids, and always put my hand up for the mom role in any games we played. Having a sister five years my junior it was like having a living doll to play with. My pretend games pivoted around dressing the baby, taking it shopping and feeding it \u2026 most of the fun stuff.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think for due reason I knew how full on parenting could be. It\u2019s like walking around with your heart outside of your body.\u201d<\/p>\n
Being a mom, she says, is both the most rewarding and terrifying job in the world.<\/p>\n
\u201cI take being a mom very seriously. I have phenomenal parents as role models, so I work hard at providing love, care, boundaries, play and fun, all while juggling the negotiations, discipline and routines. It\u2019s a responsibility and gift worth working hard at.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some of Jane\u2019s greatest motherhood joys are fostering open and honest coversations with her kids. This is something she really does value.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting to know each of my kids on their own has been an incredible experience. It\u2019s such a deep, deep love. I am also so proud that they consider others and treat those around them with respect. We are big on manners.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jane says she often thanks her eldest, for gifting her with the gift of motherhood.<\/p>\n
\u201cI love his insightful and wise conversation. Seeing Cooper flourish into a young man is a real delight. When I look at Rocco, I see his dad, Michael. His manners, kind nature, determination and thoughtfulness are all qualities that drew me to his dad and make me so proud to be his mom.<\/p>\n
\u201cAs for Lula, who will always be my baby girl, I love her for her caring heart, maturity, sensibility, her soft skin and her friendship. There is something special about the relationship between moms and daughters, and Lula and I have a very tight bond. We love the same things so we vibe easily. We both get giddy over sushi, RuPaul\u2019s Drag Race, a good piece of stationary and a sale. The boys and I have a different\u00a0relationship, but just as deep and connected.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the kids have got older, Jane says she has really enjoyed the fun side of parenting.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe silly, loud, crazy times where we exist in our own world \u2026 in our own sense of connected bliss. I cannot lie, there are certainly some tough times in the trenches. Two tweens and one almost teen already makes for some challenging times, but I remind myself that I was once a teen and, as parents, Mike and I do our best to navigate any rocky water.\u00a0 My kids know that our home has an open-door policy, and in the years to come I hope they find comfort coming home and enjoying many more memorable times \u2026 and also so that I can keep a learned eye on them.\u201d<\/p>\n
Looking back on the lessons her mom taught her, Jane laughs and says she wishes that she had listened more when her mom said \u2018Mothers always know!\u2019<\/p>\n
\u201cOf all the things she imparted to us, being there has been the most valuable. The greatest gift you can give your kids is you, and both my sister and I are fully committed to our kids and go to great lengths to make them feel loved, seen and cared for. The biggest lesson I\u2019ve learnt by being a mother, and one I hope to share with my kids is to go easy on yourself as a parent. It\u2019s a role that seeks a great deal of compassion and kindness. Look for progress, not perfection and when you drop a ball while juggling, it\u2019s ok. At the end of the day, all we want is for our kids to find what makes them happy, live a life of purpose, find someone to love with a full heart and be loved back with tenderness, thoughtfulness and regard.\u201d<\/p>\n
How will Mother\u2019s Day be spent in the Linley-Thomas household this year?<\/p>\n
\u201cEvery year I phone my mom and sis on Mother\u2019s Day, and we light a candle and set up a shrine for Mike\u2019s late mom Jeanette. Mike is an incredible role model and always in on the action when it comes to doing or creating something small and meaningful \u2026 a beautiful breakfast at home, hand drawn cards and a vase of blooms. I am a sucker for anything sentimental. Last year he helped the kids build a Lego box. Inside were 100 hand rolled ways to say I love you. I couldn\u2019t have asked for anything more.\u201d<\/p>\n
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