I'm a Much Better Mom in My Story

I'm not a Mommy Dearest by any means, but if I have to be honest, I'm a much better parent in my story. During the editing process for my children's book,Sky High Sukkah, my editor inserted some dialogue for the mother that I disagreed with because it sounded insensitive. So, my editor asked me, "well, what would you say if it was your daughter?" I thought for a second and laughed. "What's so funny?" She asked. "What's funny is that I would have told my daughter to-suck it up, get over it, or stop whining, it's not that big a deal." The irony being that I was more concerned about my fictional mother's behavior rather than my own.

Yes, I am a much better mom in my story. However, in my defense,it's probably because she (the mom) doesn't have to remind her children to pick up their sneakers and books 10,000 times a day or clean their disgusting bathroom that probably harbors the cure for cancer in there somewhere. Sky High Sukkah's mom doesn't have to deal with food allergies, teen drama, Snapchat addiction or the seven extra pounds she gained since the last Jewish holiday binge session.

The fact is, I would like to aspire to the parent I write about. I would like to take a few moments before I speak and think the subject through while allowing my child to finish their sentence, thought, request, before I outright reject it. I could probably take a lesson from my children's book characters. Then again, so could my kids.