My friend Jo Chivers would probably laugh in my face if I told her that I consider her to be my “mommy mentor,” as well as my good friend. But when it comes to parenting, what I’ve always admired about Jo is her sense of humor and utmost honesty about just how tough motherhood can really be.
Jo, a UK native who came to Chicago 12 years ago to work for an IT company, lives in Lincoln Park with her husband, their two daughters (ages 8 and 3) and their most recent addition, an adopted puppy named Woody. On top of parenting two girls, Jo has written a novel centered around the journey into motherhood aptly named “Baby (tic tic) Boom” and keeps a blog of the same name where she muses about what it’s like to be a closet type-a personality in the midst of not so organized chaos.
Recently Jo agreed to answer some questions about life as a mommy, a writer, and the huge adjustment she went through going from full time career woman to full time mom.
What’s your novel about?
It’s about a new mom and her journey to redefine herself as she goes from successful career woman to stay at home mom. It shows the frustrating, mind-spinning and downright hilarious aspects of parenthood through her eyes. It also shows how important it is to surround yourself with the right people and keep things in perspective in order to maintain your sanity!
How long did it take you to write it?
It took a matter of weeks in my head, but two years on paper (or disk).
Describe parenthood in three words.
That’s a hard one, parenthood can be so many different things in just one day or even five minutes, but the first words that spring to mind are
· life-changing (counts as one word with a hyphen right?)
· exhausting
· chaotic
What word best describes your parenting style?
Amateur.
What did you do before mommyhood and how has it changed you?
I worked as a project manager in the IT industry. My most valuable skills were that I was super organized and great at problem solving. My projects were successful because they were very tightly controlled. When I had my first daughter, I had to learn to go with the flow a little more and accept that babies have their own agenda and a surprisingly strong will to stick with it.
How do you think attitudes to parenting/motherhood have changed since you had your first baby? Have mothers become more open and honest about how tough it can really be, or do you think we have further to go?
I think we still have a long way to go. I hate to say it, but the media obsession with celebrity families and the constant ‘parenthood is bliss’ message they perpetuate has a lot to answer for. It’s to new moms what the ‘thin is perfection’ message is to young girls.
What advice would you give new and expecting moms, based on your own experiences?
Know that being a new mom is the hardest, most exhausting job in the world. But there is no one who does a better job at looking after your baby than you. Trust your own instincts and ignore negative input. Surround yourself with moms with whom you can be totally honest, without feeling judged and remove yourself from any that make you feel inadequate or downright crap.
What was life like before children? How did you picture parenthood and how different was it from real life?
My job was pretty stressful and I saw parenthood as a step away from that stress (I know, how deluded was I?). I pictured my sweet baby and I sitting on a blanket in the park playing with toys in the sunshine (no really, I did). What I got instead was myself sitting on the nursery floor crying with frustration, exhaustion and a feeling of failure. These days I’ve learned to focus on the things I do well with my kids and not stress so much about the things I’m not so good at.
You have a great mommy blog, what do you hope people get from reading it?
That they’re not alone, that we all have parenting fails and despite this our children will grow up to be normal balanced human beings. Oh, and hopefully a chuckle or two to brighten their day.
What is the most valuable lesson you think you can teach your children?
To be their own person and embrace who they are, warts and all.
Samantha Ruda still isn’t sure what she’d like to be when she grows up. For now, she’s happy to be a stay at home mom to her beautiful boy Max, and work one day a week at Adeline’s Room in Evanston, IL. Samantha has a master’s degree in Written Communications from National-Louis University and would love to get some writing published one day, if only she could find the time! A self-professed procrastinator, Samantha doesn’t like to follow recipes when she cooks, or read instruction manuals when assembling things. Samantha enjoys attending meet ups and music classes with her son and taking time out of motherhood for guitar classes at The Old Town School of Folk Music. Samantha lives in North Evanston, IL with her husband Brad, their son Max, their dog Nutmeg and cat Chloe. You can order Jo’s self published novel “Baby (tic tic) Boom” or download it to your kindle on amazon.com.
Do you have questions for Jo? Stop by Adeline’s Room for a visit or email Info@AdelinesRoom.com and we will put you in touch.
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