Mother’s Day tribute

Mother’s Day will have a special meaning for the Shellharbour-based Riordan family this year, with the birth of the fifth living female descendent three months ago.

The family matriarch, Carmen Briffa, 82, will celebrate the day with her daughter Jessie Scalco, 62, granddaughter Claudette Riordan, 45, great-granddaughter Kacey Riordan, 24, and great-great-granddaughter Piper-Jean Burley, three months old.

They say it takes a village to raise a child, and in the case of the Riordan family, this rings true.

With each mother having worked after the birth of their children, responsibility for looking after the kids fell to the grandmother and wider family.

“It’s definitely the job of the whole family,” Jessie said.

“My mother helped look after my children, and I’m there for my grandchildren. That’s the way it works, especially in this family.”

While both Jessie and Claudette said they believed motherhood was easier for their generations than today’s, new mother Kacey said the biggest challenge she faced was going back to work at the conclusion of her maternity leave.

“The hardest thing is having to leave her to go back to work – we have a house so I can’t afford to stay at home like I’d like to,” she said.

However, this was not of as much concern to her mother, Claudette.

“I’m looking forward to it because I get to look after Piper, which I know is being selfish on my part!”

Claudette said the thing she most admired in her mother was the support she had given her when she was bringing up her children, while for Kacey it was the fact her mother was always there for her.

“Even if you do the worst thing in the world they always forgive you,” she said.

Happy Mother’s Day!