Friday, March 30, 2007

Real Women

Nutmeg tagged me for the Real Women....meme.

These are my responses...

Real women...are proud to be called sister.





This photo of my sisters and I was taken in Melbourne in 1977. I am on the left, I was eleven, Sussanah is in the middle, she was four and Peta is on the right, she was seven. These girls rock my world. We live about 3km apart and raise our children in a collective fashion. Each of our children has called all of us Mum at some point. None of us has left Townsville because we know we would miss each other and our children unbearably. We can be honest with each other (sometimes brutally so). We can turn to each other and say "What will I do now?" and expect a supportive answer in reply. We can allow each other to be in a bad mood without taking any offence. I love these girls!





Real women....proudly raise nerdy sons. Last night a program called cuttlefish, the brainy bunch was advertised. My son declared, "Cool. Can I watch that?"

I love that he has a sense of wonder at the world and is always investigating something. School has not managed to beat this out of him. He watched the show with concentration (and a dislocated looking arm).




Real women....listen to loud, and often inappropriate, music. I love music where people are angry at the 'system' and question the status quo. This one says

Why don't the presidents fight the war
Why do they always send the poor.

That sounds like a fundamental truth to me! I love people who use their artistic talents to make a point, to stand for something. I have an inner hippy and an inner punk! This song is heavy and it does contain bad language. You have been warned.

Real women....apologise to their children.





In the last post my daughter left me a comment. I reacted to her being in my space and made a flippant comment in response. She said, "But I said something nice to you.", in that hurt teenage fashion. I went back and re-read it and it was genuine and heartfelt mixed with just a dash of sass and sarcasm. (This girl will go a looooong way in this world!) I have known her for her whole life, but our adult to adult relationship is still just new and sometimes I stuff it up. In order to suck up offer my humble apologies I will leave you with her favourite song. We hear this song at least fifteen times each night. I suggest that you play it on repeat to get the full effect!
Click here to listen and enjoy (beacuse I can't get the damn thing to embed!)

Kirsty, I tag you to tell us what real women do.

10 comments:

LBA said...

Oh my.

What a *beautiful post*

Sisters are indeed beautiful people - I often wished growing and ( and now ), that I had more siblings ...

Your son's arm does indeed look in need of medical attention, and there is nothing I enjoy more than belting out a naughty song full of intent.

Finally, apologies are beautiful. You are such a good mum - that pic of you and your daughter is inspired .. and that Pete Murray song is beautiful.

How blessed you are.
xx

Anonymous said...

I LOVE PETE MURRAY!

Stomper Girl said...

How lovely that you and your sisters share your lives so closely. Mine lives 600k away and we do our best with phone and email but it's not the same.

I loved seeing all your family snaps including your geeky boy and sassy girl, but that is a seriously scary Santa in that first photo.

Pete Murray is a spunk.

velcro said...

So true. When my sister and I fell out a few years back I missed her so much. Fortunately we made up around the time we each had our first child (my son and her daughter were born 3 weeks apart). I rely on her for advice on what to do with my son, and I hope when she's having a bad day with her two she relies on me to give her support. Alas it's all by phone as she lives at the other end of the country from me.

nutmeg said...

I don't think I appreciate my sisters enough. Being 9 and 10 years older then me I didn't treally get to know them until I was in my early to mid 20's! But I have certainly tries to make up lost time of late.

And the apologise thing. I don't think I ever heard one as a child and I know it needed to be said on many occasions - BOTH ways. I remember the first time I knew I needed to apologise to one of my girls and the resistence I felt based a lot on its absence in my own early life but I pushed through it and did it anyway and it was one of the most liberating things I've done and continue to do!

And the "full" picture of you both is priceless (as are all the others by the way).

P.S. While I like Pete Murray I think I may be an even bigger fan of Alex Lloyd.

molly said...

I am so envious of you having your sisters so close that raising your children is a group effort. I think the more caring adults children have in their lives the better for them. My sister and I are six years apart, which was a huge chasm when we were growing up---but we've been great friends as adults. I just wish she wasn't so far away. Don't you feel sorry for women who don't have at least one sister?

Michelle said...

Great post. If I was close to my gorgeous sister -I would be in Townsville too!!!
Also it is lovely to read how things are with parenting teenagers, you make me look forward to it.

Anonymous said...

I love that Pete Murray song and sing it OUT LOUD a lot.

Thanks for a great post.

Anonymous said...

Tracy, they are the most superb photoes (and post), particularily the one of you and ashleigh.
Flo

Tracey Petersen said...

h&b - thank you. I know how very lucky I am.
anonymous - I'm sure he loves you too.
stomper - it was a Santa from the 70's! I think my daughter will fight you for Pete
Velcro - welcome! It is lovely to share motherhood with your sisters
nutmeg - my children are strong enough to point out when they feel that I have been unjust, sometimes when I think about it they are right
molly - I have left my own daughter without a sister. I feel very guilty about that, although she has some very good friends who fulfill that role for her
shellyc - welcome. hmm is your sister here in Townsville? You know we only have two degrees of separation here rather than six...maybe we've crossed paths
maddy - welcome. we sing pete A LOT too
flo - thanks!