But I certainly understand that shift you explained once you became a parent. I know that I had a total transformation in the way I viewed all those issues that are important to me. It was a massive reframing exercise.

I like to think of radical motherhood as an awesome form of direct action. I’m not about demanding the world to be a better place. I’m actively making it a better place.

It’s not always an easy position (especially in the hardcore bogan suburb I live in!). But reading all the awesome writings around the traps from other cool political mums, and being involved in radical mama groups not only makes it feel much more worthwhile, it makes it all heaps more fun!

love and rage and solidarity and needles!
xox

I feel, too, that as the mother of two boys I have an important job to raise them to be respectful of women, to grow up learning the ‘domestic arts’ and to grow up able to express their feelings (NZ has the highest male youth suicide rate in the OECD). It is hard work and it happens every day in tiny increments.

x Helen

The main reason I set up The Hand Mirror was because I was sick of women being so marginalised in the political blogosphere and Make Tea Not War had pointed out to me (although it took a few times for me to soak it up) that there were actually heaps of women out there blogging, and often discussing politics, just not on blogs overtly tagged as political. I realised that if I wanted to see more women writing about politics I needed to find those already there, join them, and work to highlight their stuff.

I find the crafters totally inspiring. So often your work has at root a strong philosophy about rejecting materialism and consumerism, and still loving beautiful things. It’s a conflict I’ve struggled with as someone who wants to reject consumerism, but really likes to buy a little piece of wondrousness from time to time (often to give to someone else). Craft is a great resolution to that problem. Plus you crafty types always have beautiful pictures of your work, which I love to look at and sigh over.

Thanks for the link too