Chrissy Teigen’s social media posts are often nothing if not relatable and her latest admission on Instagram is just that. Posting a picture of her lying in her mother’s lap giving her a hug, Chrissy told her followers how much she’s been ‘needing’ her mum recently.
Last month, Teigen suffered the harrowing loss of her baby, Jack – bravely posting online about the realities of miscarriage and penning an emotional letter on her blog about the horrible reaction to her decision to post a picture of her grieving.
Since returning to social media, Teigen has shared the ways she’s grieving her baby and in her post about needing her mum, noted that the last four days have been the ‘hardest of my life’.
While Teigen is undoubtedly suffering an unthinkable loss at the moment, her post struck a chord with a lot of followers. ‘We will always need our mommies,’ Yvette Noel-Schure, Beyonce’s publicist commented to near 4,000 likes.
Many of Teigen’s fans reiterated the comment, reminding us that no matter how old we get, there is never any shame in needing our mothers for emotional support. It’s particularly poignant now, with the world in various stages of lockdown, with so many of us unable to hug our parents for months on end at the moment.
‘Last time I saw my mum was early October and we had dinner in her house,’ says Laura*, 27. ‘I was lying on her couch afterwards and even though she shouldn’t of, she came over and sat next to me and started stroking my head while we watched TV. It was so second nature to her but it was so emotional for me, I burst into tears. I just felt like a little kid again. It was such a comfort I hadn’t felt in so long.’
For Laura, just having physical contact with her mum made her realise how much she’d needed her soothing nature throughout lockdown. For others, their mothers have also served a vital practical support.
Just having someone else in the house doing the mumming was a balm for my soul.
‘I realised quite how much I'd been missing my mum in lockdown when we were allowed to have them over as part of our childcare bubble,’ says Rebecca, 37. ‘Just having someone else in the house doing the “mumming” was a balm for my soul, and she still asks if I need her to do the washing or put the sheets on the bed when she comes round. I always say “No”, but the fact that she asks, and is the only person on the planet who actively really wants to do that for me feels nice.’
Emma*, 35, agrees. ‘Literally every time my toddler makes a mess or has an accident I have to clear up, I’m always shouting, 'Muuuuum!' in my head,’ she says. ‘Even now I'm a mum, there are still things where I think, this is a job for mum. And that mum isn't me...'
Even at aged 60, Lily, whose mother is 80, finds herself wanting a closer relationship with her for that very reason. ‘My mother was never very maternal but since she lost husband, my dad, I’ve spent a lot more time with her and we’ve grown closer. I think no matter what age you are, you always look to your mother for emotional support because they’ve been through almost everything you have. I don’t think you ever grow out of needing that.’
So there you have it. Whether we’re three or 37, six or 60, as Chrissy Teigen says, we’ll always need our mums.
*names have been changed
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