When Mum LEFT HOME

Diane Danvers Simmons was a carefree teen until her mother made a shattering decision

WORDS: DIANE DANVERS SIMMONS.

My mum was larger than life, a 4ft 11in Irish pistol who could cut you in two with a lash of her tongue, and in her next breath, charm you with her hospitality. She thrived on being the centre of attention. In her mid 40s, she was a divorced mother of two when she unexpectedly fell pregnant and married Dad, a dapper 60. In addition to her kids, she became a stepmother to his teen daughter, and within months a new baby – me. It can’t have been easy to juggle her blended family. But she coped with it all until one Friday afternoon, a week after my 16th birthday, Mum told me she was leaving my father and me the next day. At age 60, she was moving directly…

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Woman & Home (Digital) - 1 Issue, July 2022

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