Back when I had a baby Huck attached to me 24 hours a day, I began writing about this strange new phenomenon called Motherhood.  When I was a couple months pregnant our brother in-law made us troyandjonny.com and I pretty quickly began posting mommy essays and religiously updating the Huck Blog with pictures and anecdotes for our family and friends (some things never change).  Taking a break from acting and the real world outside the comfort of our little home and neighborhood was something I needed to do for a while there, and writing about it fulfilled the part of me that needed to be creative.  Plus I could stay in my jammies all day long.

In 2010 another mom and blogger named Amy Imig organized a group of writers to read their work in front of an audience, and Listen to Your Mother was born. Two years later, her vision has become a very successful national series of live readings on motherhood by local writers.  This year there are shows going on all around the country in places like San Francisco, Austin, Fayetteville, Arkansas (where we’re about to spend a week), Chicago and Philadelphia.  I was honored to be one of the writers/performers chosen for yesterday’s sold-out show in the Big Apple, joining 14 other remarkable women and one delightful man (plus several amazing producers) to share our diverse stories of motherhood with one very enthusiastic audience.  We told stories of austism, infertility, adoption, aging mothers, sick kids, off to college kids, twin kids, and identity crises, proving yet again the obvious old saying “having a baby will change your life.” It was awfully nice to spend the day this way and take a break from trying to convince Huck to listen to his mother.  (Can I get an Amen?)

After the show we got to meet each other’s friends and families, including a few of the kids who had been the stars in their mother’s stories.  As I learned their names I realized I had never mentioned Huck by name through this whole process, nor had I ever heard the names of most of my castmate’s children.  Living in a world where all we do is talk about our kids (half the time I’m known as “Huck’s Mom”),  I was again reminded of how unique this experience was for all of us.  Though Listen to Your Mother is centered around motherhood, it was actually about each one of us as individuals and not our children.

The piece I read was written back when Huck was a baby and I was brand new at this parenthood business.  In it, 19 year old Jonny makes 35 year old Jonny feel a little nervous about her choices to stay home with the baby.  It’s been fun to revisit this essay, now that I’m an old pro and couldn’t care less what Young Me thinks.  Though I must care a little bit, because I had a big old smile on my face picturing her approval as I walked down Broadway heading to the theatre.  Take that, Jonny Hottman!

Here’s the amazing creator, director, producers and cast …

Here I am with Ann Imig, who came all the way from Madison to see our show, giving us all a great big thrill!

And here’s our fabulous MC Rene Syler:

And my two best fans Chad and Troy, whose laughter during the show could be heard from 76th Street all the way to Washington Heights, I’m sure.  (I didn’t get pictures of my other best fans Tiffany, Jennifer, Sue and Tracie but thank you four for being there, too!)

Best of all, I got a home-made break-a-leg card and roses from Troy again.  It’s been a while …