WE ARE FAMILY

Soon after our April issue hit shelves, the country went into lockdown in response to the coronavirus pandemic. In these strange and unsettling times, many of you hunkered down with a copy of Red, and wrote to share your thoughts.

Gemma Jones got in touch to highlight the importance of family – in all its forms – during this time. ‘Thanks for your article One Big Happy Family?’ she wrote. ‘I’ve been the mother figure of a “blended family” for 10 years. I’m stepmum to a now 20-year-old, and my son is 15 years old. Coparenting two lads has never been easy. The relationship between my husband and son has sometimes been fractured with competition for my attention. Needless to say, I feel like a lioness when it comes to protecting my son, which means my husband says I side with him and blood will always run thicker than water. But as my son has become older, and I’m working crazy shifts as a nurse, they have grown to be close. I have a great bond with my stepson, too: it’s sisterly, I’ve never pretended to be his mum, and I want to protect and give space to that relationship. We aren’t as tactile as I am with my son, but we do occasional fist bumps to celebrate small wins at life goals!

We’ve been in this situation for a decade now, and the sense of solidarity and love is stronger than ever. I’m glad we can draw on experiences and memories of our past, especially with worrying times ahead. There are no other people I would rather be on lockdown with!’

Our editor, Sarah (@sarah. tomczak), also received a heartening response on Instagram when she said that we would still be printing Red throughout the crisis. @edit.58 commented, ‘Thank goodness! A slice of Red amongst all the craziness might just get us through.’ In times like these, we appreciate our Red family more than ever.