once a month, i'm going to be sharing interviews that i do with women in my life. women who influence me, who are doing incredible things, who are experts in fields that i'm interested in, or overall just fascinating. as i've been sharing stories with you about my life, i thought what would be better than to start this series than with an interview with my mother?! i'm over 10000 miles away from her right now, but i sent her some questions and here are her answers.
what's one thing you would have done differently as a parent? I would have been a more intentional parent. Parenting Skills classes weren’t offered when we had children, so we just did the best we could. Also, I would have embraced being a stay at home mom. I loved doing that, but in our society, women were supposed to bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan, and I just couldn’t successfully do both.
in what ways do you think i'm like you? or not like you? Hmm…not sure, but I think we are both compassionate and caring, wanting to make a difference and make the world better, you just act on it and I’m a little more reserved about it.
what do you remember about the day i was born? Everything! I remember the labor (sort of) but mostly I remember the joy, excitement and being incredibly grateful that you had all of your fingers and all of your toes and you were very healthy!
what have you always wanted to tell me, but haven't? I don’t really think there is anything I haven’t told you. I hope that you know that I love you, I am proud of you and value you as an adult, you can stress me, but you can also stretch me. I’m honored God chose me to be your Momma.
what do you wish you had asked your parents and didn't get to? Not really anything from my Dad, but I wish I would have paid more attention to the things my Mom did well and enjoyed. She was a fabulous cook, I wish I would have paid attention to her when she prepared a meal or baked. My Mom knitted, crocheted and sewed for all of us. I wish I would have learned from her. She did beautiful work and I don’t think I appreciated her skills enough. Even though I’m not sure I would have learned anymore, I wish I would have asked my Grandmother Shattuck more about her life. She wasn’t very open about it and she didn’t want anyone to know she was of Polish decent. She always felt like the Poles were looked down on.
what's the best thing i can do for you right now? Be happy!
what's the hardest thing about being my parent? the easiest? The hardest part is seeing you work so hard for little pay. I know our rewards will be in heaven, but I still would like to see you rewarded financially on earth. Also, it is difficult to let you go and seek your dreams, however, I will admit it forces me to trust in God and rely on Him. The easiest is loving you!
what was i like as a child? Crazy!! Always into things, always stressing me (the Crayola mural on the wall, the powder all over the hallway, the lunch you had with our cat and eating the paper that was written on in marker). You could also be focused, funny, and you were always trying to save the world (OASIS) even then.
when were you proudest of Timmy (my older brother) and I? I’m always proud of you and Tim and the adults that you have become. Graduating HS, College, and you getting your Masters, all proud moments in our lives. I’ve always been proud of both of you for your work ethic, your perseverance (even under trial), your priorities, your sense of fun, really I could keep going.
what do you want your grandchildren to remember you for? That I always loved them unconditionally and that our relationship with each other is important to me and that there is nothing they could say to me that would make me love them less.
what has been your favorite thing about having Timmy and I? You were both an answer to prayer. Also, I love your sense of humor and your sense of fun!! I love hanging out with you and just having fun and laughing.
doesn't that just warm your heart? stay tuned for next month when i feature an interview with my friend and colleague, kat. i'm still processing our conversation!