Jump to Main ContentJump to Primary Navigation

Intergenerational Trauma, Healing And Making Sense Of My "Mother Wound"

It’s been nearly six months since lockdown first began and I’m convinced my sense of time is warped beyond memory. As the demarcation between days begins to blur, I’ve sought comfort in daily distractions to sustain what was once my idea of normality. Little did I know that bingeing Amazon Prime’s Little Fires Everywhere would be the start of a necessary rude awakening.

Beyond the picket fences of 1990s small town Ohio, lies an emotionally charged drama centred on Mia (played Kerry Washington) and Elena (played by Reese Witherspoon) and the complicated relationships they have with motherhood, their own daughters and each other when underrepresented themes like class and race come into play. 

Starved with longing, I digested the characters’ struggles in a single sitting. When the ending credits rolled, the residue of my unease remained. Something about the isolation of staying at home evolved this moment into the perfect climate for introspection. Finally, it was time to look inwards.