Foster carer beautifully describes the real meaning of being a mum

A foster mum has beautifully described the meaning of the word mummy.

In a blog post titled She doesn’t know what mummy means, Jamie shared the story of when a two-year-old girl to stay with her for the weekend.

“She walks in confidently and with a smile. She knows the drill. In her two years of life, she’s spent five months in foster care. In her five months in care, she’s been in four different homes. I get down on my knees and say, “Hi, sweetie. My name is Jamie. I’m so glad you’ve come to stay with us. Do you want to go meet the kids?” the post began.

Her kids put on a warm welcome for the little girl and after approximately 11 minutes she turned to Jamie, calling her mummy.

“To this little girl, 'mummy' meant the female adult of the house, the lady who reached something you couldn't and refilled your juice. Having five 'mummies' in five months, she hadn’t yet had the chance to learn what mommy meant,” Jamie explains.

She added: “Mummy meant falling asleep on shoulders, kissing skinned knees, teaching ABCs. Mommy meant helping homework, whispering about friends, sitting outside dressing rooms. Mommy meant taking pictures at graduation, hugging on wedding day, cuddling grandchildren. Mommy meant security. Mommy meant commitment. Mommy meant life-long love.

"She was only two years old, though, with a biological mum working hard to get her back and a foster mum willing to step in if she couldn’t.

“This little girl had the hope of learning that mUmmy isn’t just what you call a female who helps you, of forgetting that mummy could ever be just a name. This little girl would know what mummy meant. This little girl would have a mummy.”

The post has since been shared on the Love What Matters Facebook page where it has been liked over 19,000 times.

The reaction on Facebook has been positive with many praising the way she described being a mum.

“I love love LOVE the way you described the smallest but most important pieces of being a mom., one commenter wrote. “I've always said any woman could have a child but being a mom is so much more. Thank you so much for your story.”

Since sharing, Jamie wrote an update saying the believes the little girl is now back with her biological mum.

“I was only caring for her for the weekend,” she explained. “I had a full house, and it was just emergency care. I saw her from afar at the zoo a few months ago.

“It looked to me like she was with a foster family (children of different ages and races), so I was going to go up to talk to her and meet her new "foster mum." When the mum turned around she was the EXACT image of her, so I knew it was her bio mum.

“I didn't go up and say anything, but I was so happy to see her with her mom, sitting in a wagon, well dressed and smiling and happy and at the zoo.”