We had a day in London recently, where we took our boys to the Imperial War Museum to see the exhibitions they had there. It was a fascinating day as the kids have been studying about World War I and II in their history lessons at school, and we thought it would be a good idea to link the visit to their learning. We’ve also been discussing, together as a family, the events happening in Ukraine and Palestine. It’s hard for them not to hear about these world events as our kids are so much more aware about things through social media nowadays. They also have access to the internet for their schoolwork. One of them also had a Ukrainian refugee in their class last year, whom they got to make friends with before their family moved away.

We spent several hours looking through all the military exhibits, seeing the artefacts, hearing stories and listening to the real accounts from the people who lived and managed to survive the two wars. I could see in the quiet, dignified look on my boys’ faces how they took in the gravity of the war and conflict, which sadly continues in countries across the world today. Our boys also got to try on some military uniforms at the musuem, which they very much enjoyed alongside experiencing the recreations of WWI trenches and the Blitz.

It was a great day out, if not a sombre and important experience for all of us.

This is part of Artefact Motherhood - a collaboration of artists/mothers from around the world. Sharing stories of the joys and struggles of our journey. Our hopes and dreams for our children. With little nuggets of wisdom here and there. These are more than photographs with dates written on the back. These are the artefact we are leaving behind for children and the generations to come.

Go follow and read this month’s posts from artists and photographers Kirsty Larmour and Leila Balin.