On Being a Mom

This past Sunday was my first Mother’s Day as a new mom and, perhaps in a coincidence that could only happen to a mom, this week is also the official end of my maternity leave from my day job. The wonderfully strange combination of those two moments in time has made me think a lot about what being a mom in 2025 means.

Others have said it before and it's true for me as well—when I became a mom, my world immediately changed. Loving, caring for, and raising my son over the past few months has changed me too. 

Becoming a mom has made me more patient. It’s made me slow down more and soak in the moment—the contact naps, the cuddles, the firsts. It’s expanded my heart and my brain as both have grown to care for my son. If I could stay locked in my maternity leave bubble and make time slow down, I would. Don’t get me wrong, there have been hard times—many, many hard times—but it’s also been the most beautiful few months of my life.

And now that I’m emerging from this bubble, I feel like I’m noticing so many articles related to motherhood—ways to try and “encourage” more women to become mothers; outbreaks of diseases like measles affecting children; cuts to programs like the Safe Sleep initiative that helped reduce the number of infant deaths in the country. I’ve also been thinking about what to do with this site—my son obviously takes priority, but reading about these issues has made me want to continue working on it even more. There are so many local issues facing moms and families—from affordable housing to budget cuts to schools—that I want to make sure we’re reporting on to make our communities better informed. 

I also want to do things that would make my son proud, and I feel like running a local news website, despite all the many, many challenges facing the media these days, is one. I’ve had so many examples of strong working moms in my life— Kathy, my own mother, who gave me her work ethic and desire to try and do things that matter and my mother-in-law Veronica who balanced raising her boys and work so well. (And they’re both avid newsletter readers so thank you both for your continued support!) I want to follow in their footsteps.

I feel like I’m about to enter a new season of life, as a working mom, and it’s really made me step back and reflect on what matters in my life, what I care about, and what  my priorities should be. Whether you’re a mom or not, or if you’re at a new season of life too, I invite you to take a moment to reflect on your life and your priorities. I’m so grateful to my son Charlie for making me do this and I’m so grateful to my husband Max for all his love and support along the way. Thank you all for being a part of this journey—stay tuned for what’s next!