From Toddlers to Teen, and Life in Between

Who am I?

I am a Mom, a Wife, a Marketer.

I am a blonde, a summer lovin’ gal, and a jokester. I am strong, I am weak, I am learning.

It’s hard to describe who you are to people who don’t know you at all.

The best part?
You only have to divulge the information you want to share. You can create your own identity. But I don’t believe in that. To really understand someone’s story, you need to understand their full being. The good and the bad. Sometimes the ugly too. I plan to tell my story, and I hope by sharing some folks might see a little bit of themselves and know there is someone else out there who shares the same struggles and joys.

Who I am today?
I am the mom of a teenager who is beginning to spread her wings into adulthood and fly the coop to college, the mom of a strong-willed 5 year old gearing up for Kindergarten, and the mom of a potty-training 2 ½ yr old, funny as they come, with wild red hair. I am the wife of a man who loves his family and me, but can’t understand why I watch so many zombie shows. Right now, I am also a part-time marketer/client service VP who enjoys playing hardball (just a little bit.)

My biggest game-changer right now is watching my oldest go through the college-application/acceptance/rejection process – I mean this is a big deal. It’s the rest of her life.  As someone who took 12 years to complete her degree, I am excited and nervous for her. And a wee bit jealous. My hope for her is that she never has to know first-hand of the struggles I faced in my younger years. My entire 20’s were eaten up by a very bad relationship and situation, but a strong desire to make something of myself and prove to my baby girl good things are possible. I only hope some of my tenacity has rubbed off on her and she understands my struggles without actually having to experience them. As I try to hold on onto these last few months of being 100% responsible for her, I am also excited to see her start a new chapter. And she better take full advantage of it, because I worked hard to get her there!

I’ll stop harping on that part and just hope for good grades. And I’ll try to bite my tongue.

These days, I fear much of my attention is gobbled up by my 2 little ones, and my time with my teen is slipping away.

Anyone else out there readying a child for college?

How are you coping?

Are you looking forward to the empty nest, or dreading a quiet house?

I’m 50/50, and I think that’s a good place to be.

Featured Photo: Shutterstock

Erica Gatlin

Coffee-addicted marketing gal. Crunchy Mom to two littles and one teen. Connoisseur of all things celebrity & chocolate. Culinary scientist. Closet punk-rocker.