The ‘Motherlode’ describes a pressure in your chest when you realize your child is human and it’s time to let go.
Every mother and father share the same secret—parenthood isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Forget the movies and T.V. shows that spout off unrealistic expectations of the super mom and their super kids. In reality, all kids fail at something. Parents fail, kids fail. It’s a part of life. No parent is alone in this.
New mommies and daddies find an outlet in parenting blogs, where they rant about diapers and tantrums. Underlying the complaints is the sweetness of their child, and a voice that brags while it complains. The writings taper off when the children become teens, and problems become personally humiliating or embarrassing. Issues of privacy and personhood arise, and it is unethical to spread the news of how your child has failed. Parents also feel a sense of failure and can’t share it publicly for support.
I am seeking essays for Motherlode, a look at numerous eye-opening, poignant, often brutally honest accounts of parenthood. Don’t be put off by the title, fathers are welcome, too. (Couldn’t resist the catchy phrase)
Facebook entries crop out all the sadness and despair, and anyone going through a trial of DUIs, teen pregnancy, teenage dropouts, disability, failure to launch, etc. can feel isolated. Parenting with cancer, depression, migraines, etc. also has its own issues that would be appropriate for this collection.
1K-10K word casual(or contemporary) essays. Submit bio and one-sentence description of your story in the email, and attach your story in an email to parker@kystory.net. Put ‘Motherlode’ in the subject line. Pen names encouraged.
Deadline August 1, 2014.
KY Story 