Mommy Monday :: My sister is a cool mom!

Happy Monday! The Cool Mom series continues with my sister, Susanna Quasem. In addition to being an awesome mom, my sister is a fantastic child and adolescent psychiatrist living in Nashville. Not a bad thing to have in the family, right?

I admire my sister's kindness and compassion - she has the biggest heart of anyone I know. But she also has strength and tenacity. The woman has completed a marathon and multiple triathlons for goodness sake!

Meet fellow Cool Mom - and my best friend - Susanna Quasem.

-Stephanie

Name & age of child(ren): Sofia, age 2 years

Feel best about being a mom when: I have the whole day to spend with her and we have a fun day planned

Stopped feeling guilty about: Working, now that I have a part-time gig--3 days is highly recommended!

Favorite family ritual: Cooking dinner while Sofia "sets" the table (getting out silverware, folding napkins) while talking about her day at school

Biggest challenge of motherhood: Finding time for everything that's important besides Sofia--husband, exercise, myself, watching TV :)  

What you miss most about pre-kid life?  Being able to go to a movie without thinking. Now I have to plan and arrange all the details--the right timing so that I can put Sofia to bed or so it’s during her nap time, figure out who will watch Sofia while I’m gone, make sure she has her snack/drink/etc, and worry she’s going to have an accident on someone else’s carpet while I’m gone…

How do you find time for yourself? I have lately been trying to find time for myself so I can exercise. I decided to train for a half-marathon and am trying to not feel guilty about taking the time to train for this. I usually run during nap times when my husband can keep an eye on Sofia. My other pleasure is TV—I DVR my shows (Criminal Minds is my favorite) and stay up late watching them on the rare night that Sofia goes to bed on time.

Biggest mom-stresser? I’m not sure which is the biggest, but I stress about a lot of things—in my nature to be a “worrier.” What school should I send her to (public, private, Montessori), is she lonely since she doesn’t have any siblings yet, am I a bad mother since Sofia’s not in church school like I was, is her health/IQ going to be badly affected since I let her eat too many sweets and I can’t seem to get her to go to bed on time EVER, is it terrible that she still ends up in our bed halfway through the night, etc etc etc…

What do you see your kids doing that you know they got from you?  I hate seeing signs of anxiety in her, which I KNOW comes from me—when she’s shy around kids/adults and doesn’t want to speak or show her face. I so want to spare her from being a worrier or an anxious kid—just want her to enjoy life!

What have you learned from your kids? PATIENCE! She is also helping me to learn to just “go with the flow” more—who cares if her shoes are on the wrong feet or her socks don’t match? Sofia has also taught me to enjoy and live in the moment more since I can’t believe time has flown by and she’s almost 3!

What do you see your kids doing that you have no idea where they got it? Sofia can dance—she’s got rhythm and moves that are inspired—who knows where this comes from?

Biggest surprise vs. your expectations pre-kid? The feeling of overwhelming, almost to the point it hurts love that you can have for someone else—I knew it would be there but was surprised at the strength of it. Also expected to be able to have more kids no problem—have been surprised that having a second one has been so much harder.

Most special moment as a mom so far? When Sofia said “you’re the best mommy in the world.”