Elizabeth Mansfield

About Elizabeth Mansfield

Hard Core Parenting

Parenting is tough. Anyone who is a parent knows that. And at some stage your parenting role reduces as the children grow up.

Caregiving is tough. Anyone who has had a caring role knows that. And at some stage your caring role reduces as the person or family member you are responsible moves into a different stage of their life (or death).

As a parent, especially a mother, you are expected to do both these roles as part of your job. But what happens when the child doesn't grow up normally, doesn't go to school, has regular or long hospital stays, doesn't move out, is physically and/or mentally unwell all the time - and there's no end in sight?

Biggest Challenges of Hard Core Parenting

Who do you turn to? What do you do? How do you cope? How do you make plans - for them or you? How are the rest of the family affected? What happens if people don't believe you? How do you advocate for your child? How do you hold it all together - for everyone?

These are common questions faced by any parent (but the emotional load is usually carried by the mother) who is looking after a child with a chronic or invisible illness, wehther mental, physical or emotional.

Me as a Hard Core Parent

As a single mother of three children; one of whom has a chronic gut condition and another who has ADHD these challenges were certainly issues faced by me on a daily basis for many years, both past and present. As a qualified hypnotherapist, coach and NLP trainer I was better placed than most to handle the ups and downs of this very complex and ongoing situation.

Even so, the emotional and physical drain of me was enormous and I felt I had nowhere and no-one to turn to. I created Mamas In This Together, initially as a facebook group, as a resource and community for those people in a similar position who need help and support to cope with hard core parenting. Parenting in which you are the usual parent, but also the caregiver, who probably has limited external support whilst being surrounded by people who are at least superficially supportive (but not always much more), whether family, medical or educational.

Services and Background

I still post daily in the facebook group where we have an active and growing commnity from around the world. I also offer group and 1:1 support programmes.

With a previous background in PR I am able to talk as an expert, a mother and a storyteller in a concise and cohesive way.