Supermom |

By Natasha Hayden
April 26, 2013

As new writers are added to this project, you may begin to hear from some of them on this blog. After all, there’s only so much we can say about Purpose and Agenda and all that without sounding like a tired, old sermon. Sometimes, when we can (without revealing spoilers), we might talk about the stories themselves, but the best way to understand the stories is to keep reading. So, this blog may also feature some normal, everyday kind of stuff, not to bore you (we hope) but to connect with you on another level. Likely, you and I are made of the same stuff (though some of us may seem to hale from different planets), and we have common experiences to share.

Of course, not all of us have the exact same experiences, but what would be the fun in reading about someone who’s exactly like you? With Mother’s Day right around the corner, this one is for the moms.

As a mom with little time to spare, I chose to be an editor for this project rather than a writer. I should have known better. I did know better! The fact of the matter is, rather than sequestering myself away for a few days here and there to write a 30,000 word story and then being done for the year, I am weekly editing blogs (or writing them, as you can see), critiquing outlines, and commenting on story ideas, not to mention content editing the novels as they come through. Editing is time-consuming!

Fortunately, when I signed on for the mom job, I knew to expect that life as I knew it was over. Still, you don’t really know until you know. I have two kids. One is three. One is 18 months. The older demands a fair share of attention, but the younger is the one I need to watch out for as she unsteadily and fearlessly (that fear of heights can be healthy!) navigates the jungle gym of our house. When she first learned to climb on the couches with the cushions off (for her brother’s living room forts), I thought I had to watch her constantly. It was nerve-racking. But it was easier than denying my three-year-old an outlet for his winter energy. Recently, my 18-month-old learned to climb on the couches with the cushions on, and climb on the kitchen chairs and her brother’s bed with its tiny side rail and the rocker that’s squished in the center of about five sharp corners in my cramped house. Sometimes, for the sake of my nerves, I just don’t look. If I can’t see it, it’s not happening, right? (Should I be admitting this?)

Being a parent is a full-time job. Kudos to those women who can work 9-5 jobs and then come home and be the mom and housekeeper for the rest of the evening sans break. That’s tough. But I’m not going to tell you my life is any easier. There are huge debates out there about mothers in the workforce, and I’m not going to go there. I can’t talk about what I don’t know. But I do know my own experiences, and this is a shout-out to those women who endure the mental and emotional fatigue of going it alone for hours every day feeding, teaching, protecting (but not smothering!), caring for…sometimes just keeping up with…little children. It’s a job that’s no less important than a 9-5 one, and it often gets little recognition or applause. The only reward is seeing what your children become…and in the end, that’s why I chose to be a stay-at-home mom. I don’t think that reward is measly at all. I think it’s one of life’s greatest, and I count myself blessed to be able to watch it firsthand every day.

Of course, I appreciate all the help I can get, and I have a wonderful husband and his wonderful family to thank for allowing me those moments to myself, the moments when I can be something other than a mom…like an editor, for instance.

Perhaps one day in the distant future, you will see my name as the byline on a Children of the Wells novel. But no time too soon, I think. My own children need me more.

And hey, if you’re not a mom and you read this whole blog anyway (even though it might not seem to relate to you at all!), thanks, but make it more personal. Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and it’s a great time to remember those unsung superheroes most of us know.

Next up on the weekly blogs: you’ve asked, and we’ll (try to) answer (without spoilers, of course). Find out more about the world of Children of the Wells and the magic therein!