Congratulations! You are a member of the biggest, most powerful and empowering group in the world: the Sisterhood. Even if you're a man, if you're an ally*, you're a Sister.
Hands up who’s been passed loo roll under the stall door, or invited to speak up at a meeting, or had a buggy lifted on to a bus for them, or exchanged knowing looks during a mansplanation? Who's been given a glance of solidarity in a soft-play or had a friend send you a word-perfect text just when you've needed it? See, you’ve been all been unwittingly helped by the Sisterhood.
Last week, I took my two children to a play park. One fell and clunked his head. A woman gave me a cold compress to hold on to my son’s beautiful, swelling forehead. Another woman came over with Calpol for him and a pack of raisins for my youngest. A few days ago, a friend left a Thinking of You parcel on my doorstep when she knew I'd had a bad day. Just yesterday, a woman I'd never met before turned my tears to laughter when I realised I'd done a whole food shop without my purse AGAIN. That’s the Sisterhood in action. And I felt grateful. I didn’t feel embarrassed or indebted because the week before I had stepped in to interrupt a man snarling at the doctors’ receptionist. Yesterday, a kerfuffled mother asked me to hold her baby boy whilst she ordered a cup of tea and I continued to hold him so she could drink it. Tomorrow, I will howl at the moon whilst I burn my bra. That’s how we Sisters roll.
It’s so simple to be a Sister: you just have to be mindful of other women and step up when you can.
But you need to remember that you are a Sister to yourself. When you look in the mirror, see a Sister- you will see all her good bits. When you are struggling, look after yourself as a Sister. When you are feeling critical, speak kindly to yourself as a Sister. We need strong members, so we can’t waste time turning on ourselves or each other.
You don’t have to be perfect to be a Sister, though- that’s like saying you can’t be a feminist if you wear lipstick. The Sisterhood doesn’t expect you to be perfect- you can have spiteful thoughts, you can be jealous, you can lie about having watched The Handmaid’s Tale. That’s all fine. The Sisterhood is all about accepting you and helping support you with the decisions you make.
Knowing I belong to a group of funny, clever, generous women has helped me my whole life. Vietnamese grandmothers. American flight attendants. Indonesian waitresses. Dutch cyclists. Everywhere, across the globe, the kindness and generosity of the Sisterhood spreads her arms, welcomes me in and gives me a lift up.
We are everywhere and you are one of us: welcome to the biggest, most powerful group in the world- the Sisterhood.
*If you're not sure if you're an ally then take this quiz: 1) Do you hate women? 2) Do you actively hold back progress towards gender equality? No to both? Welcome aboard!
Do: Wear it with pride with Mother Like No Other’s Sisterhood tshirt www.motherlikenoother.com
Don’t: Exclude the Misters- they’re welcomed but seem to have a gang of their own #wagegap
Do: Listen to The Guilty Feminist podcast for hoots
Don’t: Speak to yourself unkindly
Do: Cock block- when a man is being a dick to a Sister, intervene.
Come over to the blog for more parenting truths and parenting spoofs at www.wifeofawigwearer.com See you there, Sister.
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Sally is a teacher, mother, wife of a criminal barrister, child of hippy publishers. Sister of incredible activist woman. Feminist. Blogger. Eastern Daily Press columnist. Kent-bred. Norfolk-living. Loves: Kettle Chips, boats and the first beer of a holiday. Follow her on instagram @wifeofawigwearer twitter @@WifeofWigWearer facebook
Sally @wifeofawigwearer is one of the brilliant woman I’ve met in the last few months. She’s not just a mother, wife, teacher, writer in the @edp_norfolk, blogger, she also helped initiate a gathering of parents on a Friday morning at ten am at Roots Cafe in Wymondham. Lovely coffee and cake/lunch, lots of toys for little ones and a chance to just Sit Down💪🏽. I went a couple of weeks ago and loved it. Her blog is funny!
