being-a-mom

(Photo Courtesty: Melissa & Doug)

Dear Diary,

 

As I write this post, my 18-month-old daughter snuggles next to me. Seems sweet?  Oh,I forgot to mention she’s pinching me on the arm. Perhaps I should change the title! Oh, wait. She stopped. I can proceed. Before I became a mom, I loved being a television reporter. I enjoyed going to work, brainstorming story ideas and landing exclusive interviews. I never planned on applying to this position. But when I landed the job, it was the biggest blessing I ever received. Now, I look forward to being off the clock and with my daughter. Although being a mother is the hardest job I’ve held, I love every moment–even the moments when I cry, stress or scream (not at my little girl. I usually yell when I trip over a toy or slip on a shirt that’s on the floor instead of in the closet).  I love laying next to my daughter and watching her smile in her sleep.  I love unpacking at a hotel on a business trip and finding Cheerios in the contents of my suitcase. I love my unorganized, chaotic life.  I love that my daughter loves me–even though I sometimes make the part crooked on her ponytails and can never find matching socks.

 

So in observance of Valentine’s Day this week, I decided to reach out to the DFTM community and find out why other women love being a mom. Here’s how you can participate and be featured on the laundry list of reasons why our job rocks.

 

1.  Email dearmomdiary@gmail.com. Tell me in one sentence why you love being a mom.

 

2.  Upload a photo of you and your child(ren).

 

3.  Include your first name, city and state.

 

Once I receive responses from 100 moms, I’ll post the article here on Diary of a First Time Mom. Feel free to share this story with your friends and family.

 

About The Author

Vlog Mom/DFTM Creator

Not long ago, Heather Hopson hosted a television show in the Cayman Islands. Today, she's back home writing a different kind of story as a new mom. In her 15 years working as a professional journalist, this by far is her best assignment! Growing up, she dreamed of becoming Oprah Winfrey. She was the features editor for her school’s newspaper and a teen talk show host for her city’s most popular radio station. She went on to earn a bachelor’s degree in Journalism from Michigan State University. After graduation, she worked as a television producer and reporter at CBS, NBC and Fox affiliates throughout the U.S. Instead of heading to Chicago to join Ms. Winfrey on her set, she bought a plane ticket to the Cayman Islands instead. She arrived five days before a category five hurricane! She lived in paradise for seven years, hosted an award-winning television show and traveled the globe with a government delegation. She also served on the board of directors for Big Brothers Big Sisters and spearheaded a Send a Kid to Camp campaign. Then, she relocated to Washington, D.C. to obtain a teaching certification and instruct 8th grade reading at a high needs middle school. She later returned to her hometown of Pittsburgh, PA to raise her daughter Caitlynn, now 4-years-old. During her 10-month-stint as a stay-at-home mom, Caitlynn inspired her to create this blog, and Diary of a First Time Mom was born on Mother’s Day 2012. Two years later, she expanded the family to include 20+ writers. Currently, Heather serves as the communications director at Allies for Children. In addition, she is the owner of Motor Mouth Multimedia, which ranked #49 in Startup Nation’s Home-Based 100 Competition sponsored by Discover Card and Sam’s Club. Recently, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Heinz Endowments selected Heather to receive an Emerging Black Artist award to develop Diary of a First Time Mom.

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