Mother Pie

When I was a teenager (last week perhaps) I read a novel where the main character talks about her "Mother Pie" - basically an amalgamation of people who in various ways take on the role of her mother. Included in the character's Mother Pie are her actual mother but also a whole host of other people - various friends of hers, friends of her parents, older siblings, cousins, etc. In her case they were all females who influenced or nurtured her in some way - from people who imparted their wisdom to people who would cook for her when she needed a helping hand.  The basic premise is that each of us has a Mother Pie, the group of people who collectively mother us in all the various ways we need mothering.

This isn't to say your own mother isn't doing her job or doing a good job at it, it's just recognizing that for most of us, our parenting doesn't always come entirely from our parents. I suppose it's really just another way of expressing the whole "it takes a village" concept. Certainly that's something I've seen unfold in my own house, where it seems like it takes an entire metropolis to raise triplets. It's certainly something DH and I could not have managed on our own.

This week I've been thinking a lot about my Mom, and that led me to thoughts about my own Mother Pie and who it's comprised of.  For me it's not all made up of wonderful women (although there are plenty), it's made up of all the various people who guide me through my life - so that includes a couple of 'menfolk' as well. When you really stop and think about it, there are just so MANY people who influence our growth, who inspire us and nurture us. I'd even venture to say there may be people in your Mother Pie who you've never (and may never) meet - in my case I can think of a few people who I've either met online or whose blogs I read who I think would get a slice of the pie, too.   What gives them inclusion into this group is their influence - what they've taught me, what they represent, which of their qualities give me strength or inspire me to become a better version of what I am. I don't need to meet them in real life for them to have an impact. They'll never know - unless I tell them - that they are part of my Mother Pie.

I have a ridiculously awesome inner circle of hugely amazing people from whom I draw an enormous amount of knowledge and comfort. I have one seriously kick-ass Mother Pie. Do you?