I have some news to share today. After launching Go Ask Mom in January 2010 and serving as its editor ever since, I’ll be handing over the reins in early September to Kathy Hanrahan, WRAL’s newly promoted lifestyle editor. Kathy has been the force behind
WRAL's Out & About guide to things to do in the Triangle for more than a decade, and Go Ask Mom readers might remember Kathy’s posts several years ago as she bravely shared
her journey with infertility. She is now the mom of two children.
If I’m honest with myself, the decision to move on from Go Ask Mom took me a couple of years to make. When I let my supervisors know back in June that it was time, it was bittersweet. My tears were mixed with the pride and excitement of making a big life decision.
This gig came at the exact right time for me personally and professionally. My younger daughter was three months old, and I’d just accepted a buyout from The News & Observer where I had served as a local reporter for nearly 11 years and had launched another parenting site.
During my first week with WRAL, I remember walking into Observation Park at Raleigh-Durham International Airport with plans to write about it. My older daughter was in preschool and my baby was strapped to my chest in a baby carrier, bopping along with me. We were both smiling, and I was thrilled that I’d found a job that let me continue a couple passions — supporting local families and being involved in local journalism — and take my kids along for the ride.
For years, I told people that I basically got paid to take my kids places. We visited every playground, checked out every new exhibit and interviewed kindie rock performers back when they used to come to the area on the regular. In every way, it was the perfect job for me, and I can’t thank everybody at WRAL enough who have supported me.
They include
Amanda Lamb, who has written for Go Ask Mom weekly since its launch without fail. As her own daughters, now young adults, have grown up, she has shared so much wisdom over the years—ideas and advice that are guiding me as I raise two girls. And a special shout out to Faye Prosser,
WRAL Smart Shopper, who has been what I’ve called my sister blogger for so many years. She is an amazing, kind and resourceful person who can save you lots of money, and I am so thankful for our friendship over the years.
But things change. Kids get older. New interests emerge. This summer, instead of exploring playgrounds, we toured college campuses up and down the East Coast with my rising high school junior. Meanwhile, that infant who bopped on my chest on our way to Observation Park is heading into middle school and four inches taller than me. They have very little interest in checking out playgrounds with me anymore. And
my other freelance work, which I’ve grown over the last six years, has expanded in a lot of ways that I’m really excited about and would like to pursue with more focus going forward. It’s time to move along.
I’ve learned a lot over these nearly dozen years.
Moms are struggling out there, especially now as the pandemic continues. They’re struggling to find a community. They’re struggling to juggle it all. They’re struggling to return to work after staying at home. Over the years, I’ve written about local resources — from
breastfeeding and new mother groups to programs to help women return to work such as
Back to Business to groups like
Fit4Mom Midtown Raleigh,
Kinly or
Restored, which seek to bring everybody together. If you’re struggling, please reach out.
Kids just want to be heard and loved. Over the last dozen years and long before the pandemic, there has been so much tragedy. I’ve interviewed so many experts about how to explain horrible news to children. It boils down to this: Turn off the news so they don’t hear about the pandemic or school shooting or environmental crisis constantly. Tell them you love them so much. Talk to them and answer their questions in an age-appropriate manner. (I’ve always loved
Mr. Rogers’ advice to look for the helpers, which I first wrote about after the Sandy Hook shooting.) And be aware of your own anxieties. If you don’t have them in check, your kids see it and feed off of it. Look for ways to boost your own well-being — whether it’s spending a few hours every week doing something you enjoy on your own or sessions with a therapist. Your kids need you to be the best you can be.
The Triangle is an amazing place to raise kids. I remember driving through a rural area in the Midwest where my relatives live some years ago, and my husband said, “It would be hard to run Go Ask Mom out here.” He was right. Out there, there were plenty of places for kids to roam, but there weren’t a plethora of places to play and visit. We are so lucky to have so many museums, parks, family destinations and events. I’ll really miss reporting on those and connecting with the people who make them possible.
But I’m also excited for the future — for myself and WRAL’s family coverage. Kathy has built an amazing team of local parents to cover the ins and outs of raising kids and visiting places for families across the Triangle. I can’t wait to see the direction that she takes it.
And as I wrap this all up, I finally want to say a big thank you to all of you — the readers. You have been my inspiration over these nearly a dozen years. Thank you for reading Go Ask Mom. Thank you for telling me when I screwed up. Thank you for sharing posts with your friends. And thank you for sharing your stories here. One of Go Ask Mom’s longest running features runs every Monday. It started the week Go Ask Mom launched, and it features a local mom. If I’m doing the math correctly, I’ve profiled nearly 600 local moms and a few dads on here since the site launched in 2010. I have truly loved telling your stories and celebrating your successes. From the bottom of my heart, thank you for everything.
