About Mother Hen

Mother Hen’s House.

Midnight musings of a middle-aged mother hen.

If you asked me five years ago to describe who I am; I would have without hesitation or exception said “I’m a mom”. It is all I have ever wanted to be or identified as. Sure, I have had various jobs. A few careers even, but my identity? Wholly and completely, a mom. As a lifelong professional Early Educator, I wasn’t even just mom to my biological children but a stand-in mom to hundreds of other children over the last thirty years. The interesting thing is – kids grow up. What once was a twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week calling starts to not take up quite so many hours of the day. Oh sure, I am never “not” a mom, but my children are grown. They are spreading their wings and starting lives of their own as it should be and that leaves me with a lot of time, most of it in the quiet of the wee hours, fueled by menopausal insomnia, to question not who I have been, but who I might now become. It isn’t always a comfortable question to ponder but my midnight musings give me plenty of time to reflect, so here we are.

I have been a professional child care provider and Early Educator. I am a licensed foster parent and educational surrogate. I have served as a mentor to teen (and other) moms. I am a social justice advocate and shared living provider for young adults with developmental disabilities. I am a daughter, sister, wife, mother, business partner, and friend. If left to my own devices, I prefer to be a social introvert but I will not hesitate to step out of my comfort zone and become a formidable warrior if my people need championing and that is how I became known as ‘Mother Hen’.

Given my proclivity to remain behind the scenes unless called upon, I would never have ventured into the public blogosphere. I would have remained perfectly happy to continue writing stories and poems for my kids and journal entries for myself, but apparently, the universe has other plans for this mother hen. I have a deep personal faith and I have received and accepted the message that to be here, on this page is part of my journey. I am by no means an expert, but I have packed a lot of living and experience into this life. My hope is with humor and heart, I can share my story with you and in doing so, perhaps you will find a “nugget” of inspiration or maybe some helpful hints or at the very least I can provide you with a dose of humor to make it through your own sleepless night. Not a one of us is getting out of here alive, so we might as well enjoy the ride and pick up some sisters along the way. Namaste.