You Be Mother

by Meg Mason

Babies are never accidents. They’re born when they jolly well feel like it and we mothers simply make a fist of whatever circumstances they find us in.’

‘There must be two other mothers somewhere in the world who’ve not had a single whiff of tragedy thanks to us. We’ve had more than our share, haven’t we? Anyhow,

‘Baby’s first year is a magical journey of discovery for mother and child . . .’ ‘For Lord’s sake, what a lot of rot. First year with baby is a bloody shock.’

‘As we are a doomed race, chained to a sinking ship . . . as the whole thing is a bad joke, let us, at any rate, do our part; mitigate the sufferings of our fellow-prisoners . . . decorate the dungeon with flowers and air-cushions; be as decent as we possibly can.’