Like mother, like daughter

Carer, protector, guide or friend, our mothers shape who we become. This Mother's Day, we meet six mothers and their daughters, who continue to inspire and enrich each other's lives.

- SAMANTHA TRENOWETH, GENEVIEVE GANNON & TIFFANY DUNK

Michelle Law and Jenny Phang

Plenty of writer Michelle Law's work features frank and hilarious accounts of her life, which makes you wonder: How does her mother, Jenny Phang, feel about appearing in print? Before The Weekly can pose the question, the conversation veers to a bawdy account of Michelle's birth. The physician, Jenny announces proudly, was named Dr. Dick.

“Dr. Dick delivered Michelle at 3 am, so the hospital staff had to wake him up. Maybe he might be in the middle of sex?” She laughs, providing an answer.

“Mum's just a really funny person,” Michelle says. “I don't think I realized until I got older that our mum's particularly quirky and open-minded. She'll joke about everything in a light-hearted manner. Because she's been through so much in her life, I think laughter has always been a great way for her to handle things and see light in the darkness."

She adds that she, of course, shows Jenny everything she writes about her before sending it to her editor, but Jenny never censors her. “She's always been quite open and lovely about that stuff. I think she would be an awesome talk-show host. She just has a real knack for conversation and learning about people quickly and making friends easily.”

Michelle grew up on the Gold Coast, the youngest of five children. Jenny had migrated to Queensland from Hong Kong in the 1970s. She was 36 when she had Michelle and likes to remind her daughter that, according to the Chinese zodiac, they are both horses - strong, creative and iron-willed.

“We have that in common for sure,” says Michelle.

"Mother horse gave birth to a baby horse,” Jenny says affectionately.