j@nostr.me on Nostr: So apparently it's Mother's Day in some parts of the world (including Hong Kong) ...

So apparently it's Mother's Day in some parts of the world (including Hong Kong) tomorrow. As a new mother, I couldn't give a sh*t.

If you really want to show your appreciation for the mothers and mother figures in your life, do these things, and not just for one day a year:

- support paid and government subsidised maternity and paternity leave of at least 14 weeks, including for self-employed people.
- de-stigmatise motherhood in the workplace. That's everything from allowing breaks and spaces for pumping, to supporting flexible schedules, to not treating pregnant women like they're a ticking timebomb
- be aware of, encourage, and campaign for support in different stages of motherhood, be it lactation consulting in the early days, to mental health, to childcare etc.
- do not expect mothers to be able to "control" their children for your convenience/pleasure
- improve baby changing rooms. My goodness I've been in some awful ones
- stop giving mothers "suggestions" on how to raise their children, unless they're asking, and ESPECIALLY if they're a stranger you're passing by on the street!
- do not call it "babysitting" when fathers are talking care of their OWN children
- we don't need flowers, we need sleep, childcare etc. (see above), and people to hold the bloody door open when we're coming through with a pram

Thanks for listening/reading. That'd be a nice gift too.