Mothering and Writing Ain’t Easy
After giving birth to my second child five months ago, I was prepared–or so I thought. After my first baby was born in 2004, I started writing Finding Lilies to free my mind during her naps. I enjoyed escaping into my fictional world. It left me refreshed and ready to be a mommy again.
Little did I know that staying at home with two children would leave me with very little time to write or promote my book. I guess I envisioned both of my kids miraculously coming into sync with each other . . . napping at the same time, eating at the same time, etc. How perfect this vision was in my mind. Ha! I couldn’t have been more off the mark. In fact, this is the first time I’ve been able to sit at my computer and not simultaneously breastfeed, or hear those dreaded words–”Mommy, I’m through!”
I know every mom reading this is thinking, “Yep. Been there. Done that.” Or maybe you’re thinking, “I hear ya, girl. I’m right there with you.” Regardless, I think we can all agree that being a mom is one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences a woman can have. Every moment spent with my children enriches my life–even those spent chatting around the training potty. 
Kelly Clark Baugher is the author of Finding Lilies, a contemporary romance novel.
To learn more, visit http://www.dlsijpress.com or http://www.kellyclarkbaugher.com
Posted on May 30th, 2007 by Kelly Clark Baugher
Filed under: General
Hi Kelly,
Congratulations on the hew baby? What are your kids’ names? In the 1920s there was a photographer named Imogene Cunningham. She had two small children. Homebound, she began to photograph things around her yard kitchen and bedroom. She begame one of the leading abstract expressionist photographers in America just by looking for things close to home that were quick and easy to shoot. Maybe you could think about your writing style, your ideas and adapt something quick and fun to nap times. And if that fails and you consider howling in frustration, remember you could be raising a US President, a doctor who will cure a tough disease, or an all around human being.
Thanks. Connie! I do believe my daughter may be on the road to becoming a politician. She can be quite diplomatic (when she feels like it.)
I will have to look into Cunningham’s work. Sounds fascinating.
I found a particular book at the library several years ago. It detailed a woman’s photography of the Appalachians. She had taken some of the most touching pictures of poverty-stricken families and their homes. There was this stunning sense of humanity in those pictures that grabbed me by the gut. I wish I could remember the photographer’s name. I just stared at those pictures, thinking of those families. There was one picture in particular that sticks out–a thin young woman clutching a small dirty baby, her eyes peering into the camera as though she were telling her life story all at once. That book was simply amazing. I’ll have to try to find it again.
You are so right! Kids are great but they take so much time and energy, it’s hard to find room for anything else. Best of luck in your writing and keep up the good work being a mom.