Mom Me

I became a mother 15 months ago. Since then, my life has changed in more ways than I can count, most for the better. What I didn’t anticipate is how much becoming a mother would change me as a writer. Sure, I expected to have a lot less uninterrupted time to sit, dream and type at my computer, but I didn’t expect that motherhood would creep so effectively into my professional life. Where once I gravitated toward writing arts stories, I now gravitate toward parenting stories. I don’t have an official beat as a freelancer, but lately I’ve filed articles on ways to pick a nursery school, early literacy, nutrition for kids, baby proofing and indoor activities for the 5-and-under set. Still to be published are articles on keeping kids safe in the summertime and on co-sleeping.

I’m not writing in the first-person, so these aren’t personal essays, but I find I can’t help but think of the welfare of my own child as I’m doing my interviews and crafting my pieces.  I used to spend my free time visiting galleries, attending plays and concerts and taking dance classes. Now, I spend the majority of my time caring for, playing with and adoring the little man who entered our lives back in January 2010. Perhaps my obsession with all things motherhood will subside as my child grows and both of our lives begin to open up again into the wider world, but for now, I’m grateful for the chance to enjoy the merging of my personal and professional lives.