Jessie Waddell is a Joy to Read
Writer profile #27 in my 30 day reading challenge
I first found Jessie Waddell in Fictions, an excellent little publication full of fantastic stories leaning in the sci-fi, fantasy, and horror directions. Check out her Vera St. Clair fantasy series here.
Jessie nails it in the fantasy field but what really captivated me when I scrolled through her profile was her honest, open, relatable writing about parenting. My babies are now 24, 22, and 20, but those crazy baby and toddler days with their constant swirl of exhaustion, uncertainty, blinding love and joy, and sheer boredom and drudgery are so firmly imprinted on my memory I’m back there in a flash when a good writer tells it like it is.
If you are tempted to bounce out of this story now because you have no interest in parenting stories please consider staying and clicking on all the ones below. Jessie writes with passion and purpose and I think you will enjoy her work even if it doesn’t relate directly to you right now.
We could all do with expanding our reading and conversations to attempt to see the world through a wide variety of eyes and viewpoints. When you run across a writer willing and able to open a window into their world you should jump through and see what you learn.
Here are some of my favorites:
I’m not sure of the exact point in history when someone decided that women should be able to have it all, do it all and live in a constant state of ‘being their best selves.’
But it’s a theme that emerges daily in motherhood circles.
My Facebook feed is flooded with these posts from struggling new mothers who have been completely blindsided by reality. They’ve read books and watched their favourite influencers bounce back to being ‘girl bosses’ within weeks of having their babies. They had a perfect expectation built in their minds around what life as a new mother would be like, and then it all came crashing down.
Most parents hold their new baby and feel so much love they lose all sense of perspective. You want to do everything perfectly for this precious tiny angel. And society has so much conflicting advice to throw your way. Relax, says Jessie. Babies are babies and not only can’t be perfectly controlled but shouldn’t be. Ignore most advice and lean into what feels right. As a seasoned parent, I totally agree.
My Dog Dying Has Made Me Even More Reluctant to Have A Second Kid
Why I may be one and done
medium.com
I always thought if I had kids, I’d have two. It seemed logical — there’s always an odd one out with three, and four is too many. I’m one of two, so that’s the kind of dynamic I’m used to.
Plus, there’s the whole company aspect. ‘A friend for life’ that grows up in your home with you. That’s why I’ve always been adamant about having two dogs. If the humans can’t always be out there providing company, at least they have each other.
Do kids need siblings? Can one be enough? Might it even be better both for me and my child? Excellent questions parents have been asking themselves for ages particularly while the exhaustion of the early days is still fresh. Jessie takes the issue in an interesting direction with reflections on going from being a two-dog to a one-dog family. This story is a very thoughtful examination of a question to which there is no universal answer.
What I’m about to say is sure to spark outrage from any woman who hears it within a 50km radius. It’s something that no thirty-something-year-old woman in her right mind should dare be heard to utter. But I don’t care. I’ve had enough. The time has come for me to say it out loud.
“I wish I looked older.”
You have to love a good rant and this one is excellent. It’s easy to rant about something which annoys everyone. Try ranting about a problem most people consider a blessing. Kudos to Jessie for pulling it off.
You can see them coming from a mile away. Something akin to a spider-sense makes the hair on the back of your neck stand on end, you do the stupid thing and offer a polite smile to accompany the standard awkward eye contact — their smile lingers just that little bit too long, and you know your peaceful playdate at the park is about to be ruined.
Here Jessie engages in a more traditional rant: Why do people think they can ask the most personal of questions just because someone has a kid? This is a fun read particularly for anyone who has been in her shoes. Seriously why do people think this is okay?
Becoming a parent is a wild ride. There’s a range of emotions you go through when you first see those two pink lines. Obviously, you know that having a kid is going to change things in your world. You get excited and a little nervous. You chat with other parents, buy all the books, join the online groups and download all the apps.
When you are overwhelmed and looking for advice consider looking at two different kinds of sources: those who came through what you are now facing decades ago and have had years to reflect and experience life since, and those who are just barely out of it now. We need both. Jessie gives top-notch advice from the perspective of someone still in the thick of things but now emerging from the wild beginning days. Listen to her. She knows what she is talking about and every word is gold.
Jessie Waddell is a treat to read. Her writing carries me back to those long days but short years with my babies. Her fiction is a treat as well and she is a skilled ranter. I look forward to reading more from her in the future.
Read about my 30-day challenge and all the writers and publications I profile here.
