Fifty Shades of Mommy

Growing up, voting was something I saw, but never really talked about. Now, as a parent raising a curious future voter, I’m choosing to break that cycle. I want my kids to understand why voting matters, how to research candidates and issues, and how to make informed decisions for themselves, even when those decisions may be different from mine. Because teaching our kids about politics shouldn’t be about telling them what to think. It should be about teaching them how to think, ask questions, and understand the importance of using their voice.

I spent years saying I just needed a break. Then my kids went to Grammie’s for an entire week and, apparently, took my personality, motivation, and ability to function with them. Turns out I had completely forgotten what people do when no one needs a snack, a ride somewhere, or help finding something that is literally right in front of them.

Turning 40 was supposed to be about getting older. I didn’t expect it to be about learning how much a person can carry and still keep going. After losing my mom, watching my children grieve their Harmony, and seeing illness, loss, and heartbreak touch people my own age, 40 suddenly feels different than I ever imagined. This is a deeply personal story about losing a parent, navigating grief while raising young children, being the “strong one,” and realizing that sometimes the hardest part of getting older isn’t aging at all. It’s learning how to live with the people and pieces of yourself you’ve lost along the way.

Racism is not an abstract issue to me. It is something I have carried since childhood, from being called racial slurs in school while adults looked the other way, to being told as an adult that racism somehow no longer exists. This is an open letter about what it means to listen when people of color share their experiences, to confront the biases we were taught, and to understand that silence does not make racism disappear. If we truly want something better for our children, we have to be willing to see it, talk about it, and do better.

Every summer my family always gets together and we go on a big family camping trip. We aren’t able to do that this year so …