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Fumbling Toward Motherhood by Stephanie McCarty A Whole New World During a recent (and rare) adult conversation about politics and current events, I was surprised to find that I had lost touch with many pressing political issues facing our nation. I am a self-proclaimed political junkie, and spent years in Washington, DC working as a political hack, so this caught me off guard. Back then, conversations were all-politics all the time. Even the Capitol Hill bars carried C-SPAN on their televisions so that Hill staffers and policy wonks wouldn’t miss the happenings on the House and Senate floor while throwing back a few cold ones. In those days, I would proudly recount the top news stories of the day, and would exchange stories with friends and colleagues about the most outrageous call-ins on radio talk shows and Crossfire on CNN. These days however, I’m lucky to catch the headlines when I log on to the Internet. It is a rare occasion when I actually get to watch the evening news or make it past the first page of the daily newspaper. In fact, if it’s not on Playhouse Disney or Noggin (the two leading cable channels for preschoolers) I probably won’t know much about it. Most days, I don’t find out about the major stories of the day until my husband comes home from work and shares the news. Becoming a mother has certainly changed things. Now, instead of monitoring national and world headlines, I find myself searching the web to find out when Sesame Street Live is coming to town, or how to deal with the struggles of toddler tantrums and potty training. I used to be a regular viewer of the morning TV news shows, but now Curious George and friends have taken over the morning show time-slot in our house. And, my television viewing habits are not the only things that have changed. I am a huge music lover, and have always counted on my favorite songs to get me through morning rush hour, long days at work and even daily housework – but not anymore. Preschool rock has taken over our CD collection and the only chance I have to get my musical groove on is listening to Noggin’s Move to the Music segments, or my daughter’s favorite Care Bears Journey to Joke-a-lot soundtrack. In a very sweet gesture, my husband bought me an iPod for Christmas last year so that I could escape with some of my own music for a change. Wouldn’t you know the first seven songs we downloaded to it were all sung by the Wiggles? Succumbing to preschooler peer pressure, I have become a huge fan of the Wiggles, those four rich chaps from down-under for those of you who don’t know. We recently attended our second Wiggles concert (when I mentioned this at the hair salon, the twenty-something receptionist said seriously, “I’ve never heard of them.”) I told her that they’re really popular with the under-five crowd (and moms of course). After our first Wiggles concert last year (which I think I enjoyed far more than my daughter) I looked ahead at their tour schedule and asked my husband if we could drive three hours to see their next show the following weekend. Fearful that we’d become Wiggleheads, he nixed the idea. I’ve been known to sing along to every song on The Big Red Car DVD, and recently TiVo’d the queen of preschool pop, Laurie Berkner, on Good Morning America just to get my fix. I’ll admit that I’m much more likely to know all the words to any Wiggles song than to hum along to the latest Top 40 hit. I’ve even found a new exercise program. Instead of joining a gym, or doing yoga or Pilates at home, my daughter and I watch The Care Bears Exercise Video for a quick 10-minute aerobic workout. In an effort to return to the land of adult living, my husband and I recently went out of town alone for a wedding, and a much needed weekend away from our toddler. During the first night away, we spent much of the evening talking about our daughter, and even searched a local mall to find a souvenir to bring back for her. We were able to locate her favorite (and hard to find) Care Bear to bring back for her – and when we found it, you’d have thought we won the lottery! Some may say I’ve lost touch with reality. But I see it more as exploring the world through a fresh set of eyes. Sure I may not always be able to hold my own in an adult conversation, or know the details of all the issues on the ballot, but at least I can keep up with the talk on the playground. Stephanie McCarty, is a freelance writer and public relations consultant. Stephanie worked in PR and media relations full-time for more than a decade, before starting her own writing and consulting career. She grew up in Florida, where she earned her B.A. in English (Creative Writing) from The Florida State University. Stephanie has lived in various parts of the country, including Washington DC, where she earned an M.A. in Political Management from The George Washington University. While in DC, she worked as a press secretary on Capitol Hill, and in the public affairs departments of a national public relations agency, a large university, and a major corporation. She has also served as spokesperson for two political campaigns. Stephanie says, "During my professional tenure, I have worked on political campaigns, in the halls of Congress, and in corporate PR – but nothing could have prepared me for the roller-coaster ride that is motherhood." Stephanie lives in Central Ohio with her husband and daughter, who is the joy of her life. She credits her little girl with inspiring her to find her true writing passion. For more information, please contact her at stephanie@fumblingtowardmotherhood.com and visit her website, www.fumblingtowardmotherhood.com.
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