November 4th, 2016
Jennifer Westendorp from The Kemptville Advance, wrote this article about my book in order to get more moms to step forward and share their stories. Thank you Jennifer! If you know any mother who would like to share her story, please send her my way.
http://www.insideottawavalley.com/community-story/6945860-the-mother-of-all-stories-local-author-seeks-moms-willing-to-contribute-to-book/
The mother of all stories; local author seeks moms willing to contribute to book
Every mother has a story to tell; of love, heartbreak, exclusion, judgement, friendship, frustration, pure joy, insomnia or guilt. Mothers have been through it all.
Local author and art therapist Anne Walsh has set out on a mission to gather these stories and compile them into a book all mothers can relate to.
And she wants your help.
“I am writing a book called Mommy Monologues, which is basically a book about motherhood,” explained Walsh.
Working as an art therapist has shown here that often mothers feel alone.
“Mommy’s have monologues running through their heads; I didn’t make it to an activity at my child’s school, I wasn’t there for them, I didn’t get this done, my child doesn’t have their boots on like everyone else, they left without mittens.”
Motherhood has become a competitive sport, said Walsh.
“Where there is competition, there is no vulnerability, so people don’t see you need support. Meanwhile, people are struggling and nobody knows.”
The goal of the book is to break through the barrier of taboo; to show struggling doesn’t mean you’re a bad mom.
“I want to show the variety of mommy monologues,” said Walsh. “To show moms they are not alone.”
When you think about motherhood, you see images of the ‘soccer mom’ or ‘working mom,’ she explained.
“There are so many more varieties out there; moms who adopted, moms who are gay, moms with addiction issues, moms with mental health issues or who have kids with mental health issues. There are all these different types of moms out there with no community. All they see are moms who are able-bodied and not struggling, so they feel isolated.”
“What I want to do is interview all these moms,” she continued. “I am looking for moms from all walks of life. I want to hear it all. My goal is for every mother to be able to pick up this book and be able to find her story.”
Walsh, who has interviewed 10 moms so far, hopes to include stories from about 100.
“I’ve talked to many moms about this and a lot of them say ‘oh, you wouldn’t want my story in your book.’ They don’t feel like they are good enough to be included. I want to honour all stories by putting them in the book. No story is insignificant.”
If you are interested in sharing your story with Walsh, email her directly at artnsoul@ripnet.com or send her a message on Facebook. People who participate do not have to use their real name in the book.
Jennifer Westendorp is the reporter for the Kemptville Advance. She studied journalism-print at Algonquin College. Her interests include reading, writing and being outdoors.
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Showing posts with label IVF. Show all posts
Friday, 4 November 2016
Tuesday, 4 October 2016
The Mommy Monologues Begin
October 4th, 2016
Today is the day. There is a book in me, begging to come out. I have requested funding. I have discussed it with others. I have collected contact information for potential interview leads. The problem with requesting funds is that you are not supposed to start the project until you find out if you have received the funds or not. This is proving to be difficult for me. You see, this book has a mind of its own. It wants to live and will not leave me alone. Therefore, I have decided to just get started, there is so much to do.
The Mommy Monologues is a book about women who have chosen to become mothers whether they actually gave birth to a child or not. Women are strong and, when we support and acknowledge one another, there is nothing we can't do. Unfortunately, when we become mothers, an intense, emotional experience, we divide into cliques. Even within the "mainstream moms" there are four distinct sub-sections: the stay-at-home mom, the working mom, the breastfeeding mom and the bottle feeding mom. They are all moms but somehow there is judgment and division where there could be solidarity and mutual support. That is so sad!
What about mothers who are different in other ways? I call them marginalized moms. They are often excluded from the "mainstream" clique even though they are very much a mom, just like them. The aim of this book is to give every mother a voice so that any woman can pick up this book and find herself represented. Mothers who feel isolated can see that they are not alone. Other mothers reading these stories will gain some understanding of what it's like to be a different kind of mom. There is so much diversity within the one umbrella that is motherhood.
Here is a sample of the types of moms I am looking to interview:
-Women who never left the hospital with their baby (miscarriage, still born, put up for adoption)
-Women whose children have a disability or physical illness
-Women whose children have a mental illness
-Women who themselves have a mental or physical illness
-Women who have adopted their child
-Women who became a step-mom
-Women who got pregnant through in-vitro
-Women who are recovering addicts
-Women who are serving or have served time in jail
-Women who are living or have lived in a shelter
-Military moms who move from one base to the next every few years
-Military moms who have been diagnosed with ptsd or whose partner has been diagnosed with ptsd
-Gay/Lesbian/Transgender/Transexual moms
-Multicultural moms
-Mothers who live at or under the line of poverty
I want to hear these stories and share them. I believe that reading about the diverse experiences of motherhood teaches us that we are all human beings doing our best based on our knowledge and abilities. There is no need for judgement, division and comparison. We can learn from each other and grow even stronger as a community.
If you are one of these moms, I want to hear from you. If you know someone who is, please share this post and my contact information with her. I look forward to learning from you,
Anne Walsh
artnsoul@ripnet.com
www.artnsoul.org
Today is the day. There is a book in me, begging to come out. I have requested funding. I have discussed it with others. I have collected contact information for potential interview leads. The problem with requesting funds is that you are not supposed to start the project until you find out if you have received the funds or not. This is proving to be difficult for me. You see, this book has a mind of its own. It wants to live and will not leave me alone. Therefore, I have decided to just get started, there is so much to do.
The Mommy Monologues is a book about women who have chosen to become mothers whether they actually gave birth to a child or not. Women are strong and, when we support and acknowledge one another, there is nothing we can't do. Unfortunately, when we become mothers, an intense, emotional experience, we divide into cliques. Even within the "mainstream moms" there are four distinct sub-sections: the stay-at-home mom, the working mom, the breastfeeding mom and the bottle feeding mom. They are all moms but somehow there is judgment and division where there could be solidarity and mutual support. That is so sad!
What about mothers who are different in other ways? I call them marginalized moms. They are often excluded from the "mainstream" clique even though they are very much a mom, just like them. The aim of this book is to give every mother a voice so that any woman can pick up this book and find herself represented. Mothers who feel isolated can see that they are not alone. Other mothers reading these stories will gain some understanding of what it's like to be a different kind of mom. There is so much diversity within the one umbrella that is motherhood.
Here is a sample of the types of moms I am looking to interview:
-Women who never left the hospital with their baby (miscarriage, still born, put up for adoption)
-Women whose children have a disability or physical illness
-Women whose children have a mental illness
-Women who themselves have a mental or physical illness
-Women who have adopted their child
-Women who became a step-mom
-Women who got pregnant through in-vitro
-Women who are recovering addicts
-Women who are serving or have served time in jail
-Women who are living or have lived in a shelter
-Military moms who move from one base to the next every few years
-Military moms who have been diagnosed with ptsd or whose partner has been diagnosed with ptsd
-Gay/Lesbian/Transgender/Transexual moms
-Multicultural moms
-Mothers who live at or under the line of poverty
I want to hear these stories and share them. I believe that reading about the diverse experiences of motherhood teaches us that we are all human beings doing our best based on our knowledge and abilities. There is no need for judgement, division and comparison. We can learn from each other and grow even stronger as a community.
If you are one of these moms, I want to hear from you. If you know someone who is, please share this post and my contact information with her. I look forward to learning from you,
Anne Walsh
artnsoul@ripnet.com
www.artnsoul.org
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