This is your reminder that Mothers Day is fast approaching Sunday, March 27, to be exact.
My mum has often brought up that she has not been mentioned in my column, so this one is for you, Mum.
The truth is at the age of 25 I would like to think my reliance on my mum isnt massive any more, but I know this is not true.There are instances in life were you really do just need your mum, with one of these instances happening to me in January.
I was feeding alone, which I often do when Dad is taking cattle in, when the bedding machine blocked. I set off to unblock it and was going to turn the belts back using a 4ft broken bale spike we have laying around the yard.
I have done this numerous times. However, that day, in my rush, I stupidly had the bale spike above my head and was pulling with all my might to get the belts to move when the spike slipped from where I had lodged it and came crashing down on my head.
Lets just say it hurt and I may have used some language my grandmother would be horrified with if she ever heard it. Also, some of you will know head injuries bleed a lot. I was in shock and was completely alone and there was no-one in the yard or house as everyone was either at work or school.
I was walking round the yard with my hand glued to my head thinking is this the point you ring an ambulance. I then did the thing I think a lot of big, brave 25-year-olds would do and rang my mum.
I was sobbing down the phone like a toddler saying I dont know what to do. And with that Mum rushed home from work, talking to me the entire time, telling me I was alright and she would be there soon and to get myself in the house.
Once she arrived, she cleaned me up and calmed me down and rang 111 for me. Once I had calmed down, Mum asked me why I had rung her as I have always been a daddys girl really.
But the truth is that in a crisis Mum is always the one you ring. For all Dads strengths, handling a crisis in which you are hurt is not one of them. My dad is a firm believer that a sugary cup of tea can cure everything and, to a point, I would agree with him, but I would draw the line at head injuries that you really should see a doctor for.
To prove this point, when Dad arrived home and walked in the house I told him what had happened and his first question was had I had the legendary sugary cup of tea? To which me and Mum both laughed.
The truth is I will always need my mum at times, but she is like a lot of farming mums in that her contribution can be overlooked at times. However, we all know farming mums are incredible.
It is them who are always there, making birthdays and Christmases special even when Dad may be busy. They are there through bullies and boyfriends, attending parents evenings and school plays, doctor and dentist appointments, and making a house a home in a lot of cases.
At the same time they are dealing with all the stresses of farming life and maybe a husband who likes buying stock or machinery too much.
Farming mums are incredible and deserve much more credit. So happy Mothers Day to all of them, but especially my mum.
