What prompted you to write this book for Single Moms?
My experience has been that single moms have additional challenges to consider-financial, emotional, physical-and I felt strongly
those needed to be discussed in the context of hope and recognizing a different but equally valuable partnership with God and
community.
What have been the most challenging and most rewarding parts of being a mom?
For me, the most challenging part is staying balanced between my grown-up responsibilities and my parenting responsibilities. The most
rewarding parts have been the changes my daughter has created in me, simply by forcing me to grow and rethink priorities, and watching
her bloom.
Who has been most influential to you as a parenting role model?
My friends-both singles and marrieds-share and show a lot of valuable insight and tools.
How does your faith impact your daily life as a mom?
My main prayers are "Help" and "Thank You." I have finally gotten the hang of having an ongoing conversation throughout the day, and
that changes how I react and interact.
The new series "Mom2Mom" - what makes this unique?
What I loved about the original series idea was the notion of telling it like it is. These are women I'd want as friends, who I'd
want to call after a rough day on the mommy front. The books depict very real emotions and challenges-the days when our Mother of
the Year award is hanging precariously-yet are hopeful and funny.
What challenges are unique to your own model of motherhood?
I am a recovering perfectionist. I am painfully punctual. I am overly logical. So by throwing a dreamy, creative princess into the mix,
I've found that I've had to adapt-quickly-or I will be absolutely nuts. The good news is that I've had to unearth that dreamy part of
myself and it's forced me to grow.
What does Mother's Day mean to you?
When I was young I asked my parents, "When is it Kid's Day?" with regard to these kinds of holidays. I was told that every day is kid's
day. That's kind of how I feel about Mother's Day-every day is Mother's Day. The one day in May isn't overly important to me.
What is the most important lesson that you as a mom want to teach your children?
Listen to God, listen to your gut, respond honorably, love well. What prompted you to write this book for Mothers of Toddlers?
Living through the toddler years is kind of like running an obstacle course repeatedly. It's clumsy, harrowing, exhausting and
exhilarating all at once. I wanted to reveal the hope and gratitude that can come from all of it-the good, the bad and the messy.
What have been the most challenging and most rewarding parts of being a mom?
I admittedly was ill-prepared for the monotony and the unpredictability of toddlerhood; that was a huge learning curve for me. The
rewards came, paradoxically, from dealing with those challenges; I started seeing things from my daughter's perspective, and that
brought joy and surprise and creativity.
Who has been most influential to you as a parenting role model?
I leaned a lot on women who went before me and survived mostly intact. It was a huge help to be able to flail in their presence and
be understood, not condemned.
How does your faith impact your daily life as a mom?
I was relatively young in my faith when my daughter was a toddler, so it became a life preserver in all senses-God preserved my
sanity, revealed my strengths and weaknesses and provided a better plan.
The new series "Mom2Mom" - what makes this unique?
I have seen far too few parenting books that discuss the reality of motherhood in all its mangled glory. When I find them, I love
them and lap them up. I felt excited and privileged to be a part of this series, because these are women who've been in the trenches
and are unafraid of being real-real fun, real overwhelmed, real frustrated, real fulfilled.
What challenges are unique to your own model of motherhood?
My greatest challenge has been and continues to be having a tiny and very different woman in the same house with me. We are an
interesting mix. She teaches me to lighten up; I teach her about life and living. So far it's working out.
What does Mother's Day mean to you?
That one particular day doesn't mean much to me. I so identify myself as a mom that it's hard to separate every other day of the
year, with all the tasks and benefits, from one day in May.
What is the most important lesson that you as a mom want to teach your children?
Listen to God, listen to your gut, respond honorably, love well.
New Leaf Press->
