In today's Do It All Mamas (& Papas) the spotlight is on Jaime Morrison Curtis, author of Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman) and PrudentAdvice.com, and mom to two year old Scarlet.
Examiner: Tell me something unique/interesting about yourself.
Jaime: I have an extra vertebra. That may not be that interesting, but it is unique.
Examiner: Tell me about your latest book.
Jaime: Prudent Advice: Lessons for My Baby Daughter (A Life List for Every Woman) is the book inspired by my website, 500 Pieces of Prudent Advice for My Baby Daughter. I started keeping this list shortly after my daughter’s birth two years ago, really because I experienced some surprising emotions post-partum—after three miscarriages, I had pent up anxiety about death, about losing my daughter, or what seemed worse, that she might lose her mother. A motherless child! This idea haunted me. I know this sounds morose, but for me it wasn’t—it came from a loving place. To alleviate the fears, I started to write. My goal was simple: Should something happen to me, she might still have a mother, if only in words. I wanted it to reflect how much I love her, how important she is, and also who I am, so that she should know me. And I wanted it to be honest and to be beautiful, to show her art and poetry and the big ideas of life through these small windows. I looked back at my own life and the things I’d learned, or failed to learn, or wished I’d learned about what it means to be a female person, and tried to update some conventional wisdom I saw as outdated. That and some helpful tips from her grandmas, great grandmas, and readers from around the world make up the 500 pieces of advice. But ultimately, all of it comes back to three things: Be ethical. Be kind. And think for yourself.
Examiner: How did you get started as a parenting author?
Jaime: I started writing the blog alone, I didn’t share it with anyone for quite a while. But the process of working on it led me to this amazing place... everywhere I looked, I would see things as more beautiful and more peaceful because I was looking for some goodness to show my daughter, something positive to share with her about this life she was embarking on. Every challenge or argument or hurt feeling became an opportunity to teach something. It turned my world upside down and shook out the restlessness and dissatisfaction. I wanted to share that feeling, so I asked a few friends to read it and share their advice with me. They shared it with some friends, and from there it developed a life of it’s own. People started emailing me from around the world, in different languages, all ages and sexes and all so eloquent, with thoughts and lessons and memories from their parents and for their child. Eventually some literary agents started calling too. When I found one I clicked with, also a mother to a young child, and I felt like she would protect my vision, I decided to go for it. She took over from there.
Examiner: What secret do you have to share with other parents about "having it all" with your family and business?
Jaime: I don’t know that I’ve figured that out. It’s always a struggle trying to make time for all these different components and not feel like you’re failing a little at each one. It helps that for me, my work, in some ways, feels like a special treat between my daughter and I. It’s a blessing to have that kind of motivation. A sense of purpose to your work goes a long way toward making the imbalance manageable. It’s a precarious way to live in some ways, but having that foundation of meaning to the work you do is something upon which you can build - if not a fancy home, at least a strong will (or a strong willed child).
Examiner: What is the number one piece of advice you have for other parents?
Jaime: This is one area in which I actually don’t have any advice. We’re all just muddling through. The thing I find myself most often wanting to say to the parents I know is this: You’re doing just fine.
Examiner: What is your (and your kids) favorite family activity?
Jaime: We love putting Scarlet in her bathing suit, filling up a big party drink tub with water and calling it a swimming pool. We also have another tub filled with sand. It’s like a day at the beach in the backyard.
Examiner: Anything else you want to add?
Jaime: One tangible thing I learned from writing this book is that it is valuable to spend time thinking about what kind of parent you want to be. Not what kind of parent you want other parents to think you are, or what type of child you hope to create with your parenting, but just what you, on your best day, hope to reflect from the world onto your kids. Then try to be that parent. Just try.
Read all the other moms and dads stories and inspirations that have been featured in this series HERE.
Want to be featured in a Do-It-All Mamas (& Papas) story or do you know someone who should be?
The goal of this series is to feature hard working parents who have started their own business or venture and are using their skills/knowledge to make other parents’ lives better.
Does this describe you or someone you know or do business with? Then email me at parentingexaminer@gmail.com with a short one or two sentence description of your business and what makes it/you unique. Also provide a link to your website so I can see what you’re all about.
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