With Mother’s Day on Sunday 14 May, now is the time to celebrate the leading ladies in our lives. Take these four local mothers, for example, who’ve shared some of their finest mum moments with us.
Danielle Young
Mum of 10 Danielle Young always knew she wanted to help children in foster care. She was only 11 when her mother died and others were quick to put their hand up to care for her.
“As a kid I had plenty of relatives who jumped in to help raise me and I really think it does take a community,” Danielle says.
“Before I went to live with my father at eight, I had also spent some time with a foster family in New South Wales, but mostly with relatives including my Indigenous family members, aunts and cousins. This has really helped me understand my kids better as I know what they are going through and I know how I had to make sense of things to survive. I also think my childhood made me realise that at times things can go wrong and parents need a chance to get themselves back on track.”
“We’ve looked after over 100 children and some have contacted me as adults to say we really made a difference.”
Danielle thought she would be a carer later in life but once she and her husband Ashley had their three kids, they felt the timing was right.
“We started fostering when our youngest was four, so some of our children wouldn’t remember a time when we didn’t have extra at home,” Danielle says. “This is our 13th year of being foster carers and some of our children have been with us for over a decade. We’ve looked after over 100 children and some have contacted me as adults to say we really made a difference. That’s what’s really important,” Danielle says.
The Young family’s motto is ‘we are large, we are loud, we are awesome’ and they make the most of living on eight acres out of town.
“Kids need to get dirty, muddy and noisy, especially kids working through struggles,” Danielle says.
“When we are all pitching in doing a veggie garden or working on something together, that’s amazing. Motherhood has taught me flexibility. It’s exhausting, hilarious and heart-warming all rolled into one. Some nights I wonder what went wrong, others I think today was a piece of cake and you never know what type of day each morning will bring.”
Danielle cooks for anywhere between 11 to 14 each night depending on who’s coming for dinner (not all of her children live at home). Lunch boxes are a production line and keeping the house clean is a joint effort with everyone assigned their regular chores. And then there’s going away on holidays…
“We do a lot travelling. All of us went to New Zealand a couple of Christmases ago and I think I packed for a whole week,” Danielle says. “Most of our trips are in our Jayco Swan at caravan parks. People sit back and watch us set up — it’s a funny sight to see. Our best investment was our pool and our Jayco as they’ve created so many fun family times.”
Danielle says the biggest challenge of raising kids in our modern times is social media.
“Don’t be afraid to step in and put down rules,” she says. “You have to be 13 or 14 here to get a phone and even later for social media and the kids pay for their own phone credit. I’ve taken many mobile phones hostage. One day I think I had five phones lined up in my room. It’s their main consequence — no phone for 24 hours.”
So how does Danielle survive the chaos when things get a little out of control? “I make sure I keep my sense of humour,” she says. “If I misplace it, I take some time out until I find it again. Kids need to see our silliness sometimes and we need it to keep smiling.”
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Amanda Nass
For mum of two Amanda Nass, owner of Bubs2Bratz Nursery Hire Townsville, motherhood is even better than what she imagined it would be.
“Motherhood is the best unpaid job I’ve ever had,” Amanda says. “It’s been a journey of discovery, from undergoing the IVF process, to having a premmie baby and a mountain of other milestones.”
“I live by my online calendar and prepare for the week ahead…”
Amanda has two boys, Braithan (5) and Kaidan (3), who bring plenty of special mum moments into her life. “I have two active boys, a husband who has a successful swimming pool construction business and my own business, so I’m all about routine… routine… routine,” Amanda says.
“I live by my online calendar and prepare for the week ahead… school clothes, lunches and dinner menus. I was told by another successful business owner years ago to concentrate on what you’re good at in business and outsource the rest. This is now more important as my business and family are growing. I’ve employed amazing staff, I have a reliable bookkeeper and a very supportive husband.”
One of the biggest challenges Amanda has faced is the loss of her first child – a daughter who was stillborn at 28+ weeks, but she says she has learnt to appreciate the little things in life.
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Angie D’Arcy
Angie D’Arcy has four children, aged from seven to 17, and is constantly amazed by how different they all are, even though they’ve been parented in the same way.
“Lily (17) is a smart and funny young woman who has a strong sense of who she is. Daisy (14) is extremely energetic, emotional and very empathetic,” Angie says. “Miss Poppy (11) has an uncanny ability to attract people with her smile and Sam (4) is a thinker, who soaks up knowledge like a sponge.”
“My advice to younger mums is to not be so hard on yourself. It’s okay to not go away every holiday or to say no to certain things. And even when you think you can’t do it, you can!”
For all of its blessings, Angie admits motherhood can be a tough gig too.
“Sometimes the biggest challenge is simply getting up every morning and doing it all again,” she says.
“It can be a bit like ’groundhog day’, getting through the never-ending chores.”
Having a child who is completely dependent (Poppy was born with an intellectual and physical impairment and is non-verbal) means Angela encourages her other children to be more self-sufficient. Thankfully Poppy is now a part of the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) and, for the first time, Angie has wonderful support workers who help her with Poppy as well as assist her in accessing the community and activities.
“I’ve needed to learn to accept help when it’s offered, which I don’t do enough,” Angie says.
“My advice to younger mums is to not be so hard on yourself. It’s okay to not go away every holiday or to say no to certain things. And even when you think you can’t do it, you can!”
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Taryn Gaudin
Mother of two Taryn Gaudin always saw children in her future but when her maternal instinct kicked in her relaxed attitude toward motherhood changed.
“I remember feeling like I had gone from wanting children ‘one day’ to ‘I want a baby so badly, like NOW’! My husband and I were extremely lucky in the sense we became pregnant relatively quickly,” Taryn says. “We did have one very early miscarriage, and at the time I was heartbroken, but in hindsight I understand what a miracle it is to conceive and deliver healthy children into this world.”
Taryn delivered Sophie, 3, and Hannah, 10 months, at The Townsville Hospital’s birth centre.
“Part of my mission is to provide women with the education and advice they deserve around exercising after pregnancy.”
“The first time I ever saw them laughing and ‘talking to each other’ in their own language was one of the happiest moments of my life,” Taryn says. “I read a meme the other day that said: ‘A mother’s dream is that, when she is gone, her children will still love each other wholeheartedly.’ I resonate with that. My dream is for them to be the best of friends for life.”
Taryn says learning how to discipline her girls and set boundaries has been one of her biggest challenges as a mother. “The terrible twos seemed to come quite early for Sophie,” she says. “I think it’s just as hard for them as it is for us. They want to be grown-up and stay a baby all at the same time. The constant negotiation to do everything really pushed my buttons!”
Exercise has been a great way of letting off steam for Taryn, whose blog ’Swim Ride Mum’ has helped her connect with like-minded women and keep her mental health in check.
“I love triathlon and I also love helping other mums feel strong physically and emotionally,” Taryn says. “My blog began as a hobby but now I’ve started to pursue a career working in women’s health and fitness that I would never have previously considered. As adults, we sometimes let our fears prevent us from taking risks. We care too much about what other people think. Children don’t do that. They just take a leap of faith and know that it will work out somehow and, if it doesn’t, well they learn a valuable lesson.”
One of Taryn’s biggest passions is helping to inform mothers regarding safe return to exercise after having children.
“Women are either expected to ‘bounce back’ without paying respect to their body and the changes that occur during pregnancy and birth. Or they’re given this obscure message that their bodies are ‘broken’ now they’ve had children, and they shouldn’t expect that they can enjoy the sports and leisure activities they did prior to motherhood,” Taryn says. “Part of my mission is to provide women with the education and advice they deserve around exercising after pregnancy.”
With a mindset that our children are sent to challenge us, and we are meant to grow from our experience as parents, Taryn says she’s experienced drastic personal growth since becoming a mum.
“My children teach me to try and find that inner child and embrace life,” Taryn says. “Every day they show me how to be kinder, more patient, more loving and more open.”
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Make-Up by: Kristin Martin | Written by: Kylie Davis | Photos by: Matthew Gianoulis