LJ Idol 8, Topic 18: "My Idol"
"Mother."
"Mom"
"Mommy"
"Mum"
"Ma-Ma"
As a child growing up in the 1970's, I loved to watch shows such as The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and The Waltons - all shows about large, loving families. Sure, the kids didn't always get along, but they had devoted parental figures to soothe ruffled feathers and maintain at least a relatively peaceful co-existence within their large broods.
My own childhood was more like a suburban version of Family Affair, minus the older sister - a single dad, a series of live-in housekeepers (none of whom were British butlers, alas), and one annoying brother. I would have loved having more siblings, but since my father (who was widowed when I was four) never remarried, it just wasn't meant to be.
As a teenager, I had hoped one day to marry and have a large family of my own. Probably not five or six kids, but three or four seemed a reachable goal, or so I had thought. Although I consider myself a lucky woman to have landed a kind and loving husband when I was twenty-five, we haven't been successful in the family way - primarily the fault of my wonky reproductive system, to be honest.
Although we have dabbled in trying to adopt - and were close enough to a potential private adoption that we had gone ahead and preemptively painted the spare bedroom pink with a fairy border - I am now 44 years old and have entered pre-menopause, so getting pregnant at this point in my life is out of the question.
What is up for debate is whether or not I would have been a good mother. I'd like to think that I would have been, despite my self-centered tendencies. My husband and most of my friends would no doubt assure me that I'd be a fabulous parent, and certainly any child of mine whether biological or adopted would be soundly loved and coddled. But to be honest it seems like parenting is a trial-by-fire, sink-or-swim situation. Until you actually are a parent, there’s no way to really tell for sure how good a parent you would be.
theafaye is a woman whom I deeply admire. She is the mother of five adorable and talented children, who range in age from a wee one-year-old up to a nearly nine. But fecundity is just the tip of the iceberg. theafaye is also the epitome of a true Renaissance woman. Not only is she a graduate of Oxford University with a degree in Modern History, she is a also a musician who "can get a tune out of just about anything." She is an author (Wizardry for the Uninitiated) and a publisher (Fey Publishing). Her seven year old daughter, 04Summer_Rain04, is a wonderful storyteller in her own right, and I believe is the youngest LJ Idol contestant on record.
In addition to being a full-time mother, theafaye has proven her mettle by taking on the task of homeschooling her children, which adds another layer of awesome sauce on top of the five-scoop family-sized sundae. She's been known to take her offspring on educational trips to various nearby castles, nature reserves, and museums, works with them in the garden, and has even taken them to circus classes to learn tightrope walking, acrobatics, and balancing skills, which no doubt come in handy for mom as well!
It can't be an easy job to parent five young children, but theafaye makes it look effortless.
Bravo, theafaye - bravo!
"Mom"
"Mommy"
"Mum"
"Ma-Ma"
As a child growing up in the 1970's, I loved to watch shows such as The Brady Bunch, The Partridge Family and The Waltons - all shows about large, loving families. Sure, the kids didn't always get along, but they had devoted parental figures to soothe ruffled feathers and maintain at least a relatively peaceful co-existence within their large broods.
My own childhood was more like a suburban version of Family Affair, minus the older sister - a single dad, a series of live-in housekeepers (none of whom were British butlers, alas), and one annoying brother. I would have loved having more siblings, but since my father (who was widowed when I was four) never remarried, it just wasn't meant to be.
As a teenager, I had hoped one day to marry and have a large family of my own. Probably not five or six kids, but three or four seemed a reachable goal, or so I had thought. Although I consider myself a lucky woman to have landed a kind and loving husband when I was twenty-five, we haven't been successful in the family way - primarily the fault of my wonky reproductive system, to be honest.
Although we have dabbled in trying to adopt - and were close enough to a potential private adoption that we had gone ahead and preemptively painted the spare bedroom pink with a fairy border - I am now 44 years old and have entered pre-menopause, so getting pregnant at this point in my life is out of the question.
What is up for debate is whether or not I would have been a good mother. I'd like to think that I would have been, despite my self-centered tendencies. My husband and most of my friends would no doubt assure me that I'd be a fabulous parent, and certainly any child of mine whether biological or adopted would be soundly loved and coddled. But to be honest it seems like parenting is a trial-by-fire, sink-or-swim situation. Until you actually are a parent, there’s no way to really tell for sure how good a parent you would be.
theafaye is a woman whom I deeply admire. She is the mother of five adorable and talented children, who range in age from a wee one-year-old up to a nearly nine. But fecundity is just the tip of the iceberg. theafaye is also the epitome of a true Renaissance woman. Not only is she a graduate of Oxford University with a degree in Modern History, she is a also a musician who "can get a tune out of just about anything." She is an author (Wizardry for the Uninitiated) and a publisher (Fey Publishing). Her seven year old daughter, 04Summer_Rain04, is a wonderful storyteller in her own right, and I believe is the youngest LJ Idol contestant on record.
In addition to being a full-time mother, theafaye has proven her mettle by taking on the task of homeschooling her children, which adds another layer of awesome sauce on top of the five-scoop family-sized sundae. She's been known to take her offspring on educational trips to various nearby castles, nature reserves, and museums, works with them in the garden, and has even taken them to circus classes to learn tightrope walking, acrobatics, and balancing skills, which no doubt come in handy for mom as well!
It can't be an easy job to parent five young children, but theafaye makes it look effortless.
Bravo, theafaye - bravo!