If this topic is upsetting for you, please please prioritise yourself, and don’t feel like you need to read this.

I’m not a mother, but Mothering Sunday (Mother’s Day here in the UK) is not always about that. It’s about the power of motherhood, of maternal love, of caring for the mothers around us. Some of my favourite people are mothers, and I love being able to look after them so that they can focus their love on their children.

Writing mothers has always been a bit of a challenge for me, because in the early days, I tended to either write wonderfully loving mothers (like my own!) or cold step-mothers, very Disney!

It’s taken me time to expand my mother repertoire, to write mothers who have good sides and bad sides, mothers who make mistakes from love, and those who are sometimes cruel to be kind.

So whatever mother you have, whatever mother you are, whatever mothers you’re close to: I hope that you have a wonderful Mothering Sunday.