Acceptance

Hi! How are you doing? It’s been a busy couple of weeks, so no time for blogging, but the busyness has reduced a bit (for now) and it’s a rainy Sunday morning – the perfect time for a bit of blogging!

Yesterday was World Theatre Day, which I realised at about 7pm last night. Anyway, it made me pull out my old photo albums and start reminiscing, as for years I was a very enthusiastic amateur actress, being a member of two amateur theatre societies in Manchester. I joined a musical society first, encouraged by my singing teacher when she spotted an advert in the local paper. I went there knowing no one, so nervous, part of me not wanting to go at all, but it really was life-changing. I have the most amazing memories from those years as well as a lovely group of friends that I still have – despite me moving to Ireland. With so many members of the musical society being members of the same dramatic society too, I eventually joined that and loved every minute of it!

The most wonderful thing about that time in amateur theatre was the confidence it gave me. After years of feeling very under-confident in myself I finally started to feel secure about who I was and what I was about. I gained a strength that I needed. That strength is still challenged today, but I know that it’s there, that I have it in me, even when I don’t feel I do! 

The thing was, from my experience in the amateur theatre societies I was involved in it didn’t matter what you looked like, where you were from, what your job was, what your other interests were, what your sexuality was, how much money you had, whether you were a drinker or not (I hardly ever drink, I genuinely prefer the taste of Diet Coke to alcohol, but for some reason some people find that problematic), or whether or not you were in a relationship. All that really mattered was that you were a kind, decent human-being. And that’s all that should ever matter. 

So, why am I writing about this? What does it have to do with being a mum? Well, it’s made me think about the importance of acceptance. Not all of us feel the need to feel accepted, but I think deep down that many of us do. I’d imagine that, as parents, we all want our children to be happy, to accept themselves and to be accepted in the world. However, I also know that I want my little man to be able to accept himself and be accepted for who he genuinely is, not who he feels he has to be. 

Although things are improving, we’re still living in a very judgemental world with so many societal pressures, and it can be very hard for many people to be who they genuinely are. We also need to be mindful about being accepting of who people are ourselves, after all our children initially learn from us. I think as a society we’ve been so conditioned in the past that sometimes it can be hard to shake this off. But the world is changing so fast, we need to move with it and know what’s important. I’m so inspired by those people who stand up for who they are, what they believe in and don’t allow themselves to be pigeon-holed by society. 

Myself and my husband will always accept our son for who he is, all we want is for him to be a kind, decent human-being and accepting of others. We also have to try and lead by example. Acceptance is about opening our eyes to the world, seeing what is important and what isn’t. And, not to forget, accepting yourself and who you actually are. After all, sometimes it’s not easy, but being you is the best thing that you can do. 

Colette x