By Hannah Schenker
Looking around online, you see so many images depicting the idyllic side of parenting and motherhood. Instagram is chock full of beautiful mamas with stylish clothes and their perfect children with neat hair, in their clutter-free homes with tasteful furnishings. Reality for many of us looks quite different to that, so when we saw these illustrations by Helene Weston, we could completely relate.
Helene is an illustrator living in Cornwall in the UK. Her illustrations feature those moments that we all have, yet don’t realise are so universal. Sniffing your baby’s nappy-clad bum to see if they need changing. The joys of having your child being gifted playdoh on their birthday (“Why do you hate me?” says the mum’s thought bubble). Honest depictions of what life is like when you’re running on empty and getting no sleep.
Helene hopes that through sharing her illustrations, parents might get a sense that they’re not alone, saying that “most of us are finding it really bloody hard and that having a support network is so important. Also that you don’t need to feel guilty if your kid watches telly and eats fish fingers for tea!”
“I’ve been drawing and painting for most of my life,” Helene says, “but since having my own little sleep thief, I have been inspired to illustrate our life as a parents. Parenting is hard! I just hoped that other parents could relate.”
We certainly can.
Here a few to scroll through, but you can find more on Helene Weston’s website and join her communities on Facebook and Instagram.
