collective mothering picknick

In the organizer's words:

the nuclear family without a supporting system around us is not how motherhood is meant to be

KEY FACTS

> June 20, 11 am - 2 pm in Grüneburgpark (exact location by mail)

> all vegan food for you and your child (all ages welcome, from 6 with children's ticket*)

> honest exchange about motherhood and parenting and mothering together

NOURISHING FOOD

Women*s bodies do so much, they create people (!?) and nourish them (in so many different ways, not just breastfeeding), they give closeness and work physically, mentally and emotionally. Therefore, nourishing food is not optional for care workers and at the same time, meal planning for one or more children takes up so much time and mental capacity that their own balanced diet is often secondary - but: your body needs to be nourished, so look forward to lots of fruit and vegetables, dips, croissants and rolls and much more (all vegan).

COLLECTIVE MOTHERING

Collective care is not a new idea - on the contrary, individualizing care work is a relatively recent (and not particularly successful) phenomenon in evolutionary terms. Collective or othermothering was a survival strategy and a sign of resistance in Black communities when families and ties were violently separated by enslavement. Children being held by the community challenges the Eurocentric model of the nuclear family and is a way of reclaiming care as a shared responsibility.

'It's to reclaim caregiving as a collective responsibility. (Serawit Debele)

What this can mean in concrete terms for the picnic in the park (and what it is not): The aim is to take the burden off you as a mother that arises when we are largely solely responsible - for the child's food intake, for their development, for their mental health, for reflecting on our own learned patterns that we don't want to pass on. Caring for a child alone for a large part of the time and perhaps feeling the pressure of always having to react correctly to your child requires constant awareness of your nervous system. This should be a space where all these issues are shared and you can say: I don't know how to deal with it when my child does XY. Where you can express your worries and be heard, where they are normalized in a mutual exchange and where I can classify them professionally.

What's important: in purely legal terms, everyone is of course still liable for their own children. It's not necessarily the place to write an email because the child is busy at the moment (although that's also allowed if it's okay and really urgent for everyone involved - we're just exchanging information, okay?)

Maybe connections will form - friendships in which mothering together becomes part of your everyday life. Or you simply join in and feel the power of the community.

WHAT (NOT) TO BRING

> bring: your essentials such as sunscreen, sun hat and changing clothes

> not to bring: picnic blankets, crockery and a small selection of toys are provided

come and find your tribe

Price information:

Mom Ticket: choose one of the three options depending on what is possible for you at the time. The middle price option carries the event. Choose the higher one if you can and the lower one if you can't - and take part, carried by the community or carry it with you. Your choice will of course remain anonymous. Kids Ticket: your child is included in your ticket price up to the age of 5, from the age of 6 you can book a children's ticket.