Bushfire season: A salute to mums

“Follow through with your bushfire plan,”
they say,
calmly.

So you cancel school for the kids —
who are suddenly ecstatic,
while you quietly run logistics
in your head.

You pack snacks, chargers, go-bags,
and everyone’s feelings.

You answer big questions
about fire and safety
while searching for
the soft toy —
not a soft toy,
the one.

You email work:
working remotely today,
which really means
working, parenting,
monitoring alerts,
and pretending you’re fine,

from a shopping centre food court

Employers say they get it —
and many genuinely do.
Still, the guilt sneaks in.

Living in a bushfire-risk place
adds an unspoken layer
to motherhood:
plans paused,
routines upended,
competence quietly questioned.

And for single mums,
and those parenting solo
while partners run towards danger —
you carry it all.
Every call.
Every worry.
Every brave face.

So if things feel messy,
loud, unproductive,
or a little feral —
this isn’t failure.

This is disaster management.

We see you.
We salute you.

You did the right thing.

If you know a mum in a bushfire-risk area, check in on her this week. They might look calm and capable, but after the week they’ve had, many are still feeling upended and doing their best to hold it all together.