A Mommy Is Made Takes Vanity Fair's Proust Questionnaire

What is your idea of perfect happiness?
At 13 - a bag of Smartfood popcorn 
At 20 - you don't want to know
Now - lying in bed with my husband and daughter on a lazy Sunday morning 

What is your greatest fear?

At 13 - middle school

At 20 -  graduation

Now - paying for college, regaining my pregnancy weight, my daughter getting too old to snuggle

Which historical figure do you most identify with?

At 13 - are my parents considered historical figures?

At 20 - was I supposed to study for a history exam? 

Now - Mother Theresa (yes, that's a joke) Jesus (yes, that's also a joke) Does Superwoman qualify as a historical figure? 

Which living person do you most admire?

At 13 - my father

At 20 - Dr. Theresa Kennedy, my English professor  

Now - my grandmother ~ 88 and still rockin' it (and she did give birth to my father, so yeah... still my dad, too!)

What is the trait you most deplore in yourself?

At 13 - jealousy

At 20 - pettiness

Now - impatience

What is the trait you most deplore in others?
At 13 - jealousy 
At 20 - pettiness 
Now - arrogance

What is your greatest extravagance?

At 13 - a mani/pedi (with mom treating, of course)

At 20 - buying the next round 

(*At 25 - designer handbags*)

Now - a long, hot shower

What is your favorite journey?

At 13 - traveling to Italy with my family

At 20 - traveling to Italy with my mother (there are future blog posts in the works about our trials and tribulations... like getting separated boarding a train, her teaching me to drive stick on the side of a cliff, and the fact that it was the last time I saw my grandfather)

Now - motherhood

What do you consider the most overrated virtue?

At 13 - humility 

At 20 - temperance 

Now - patience

On what occasion do you lie?

At 13 - never

At 20 - "Officer, was I speeding?"

Now - never

Which living person do you most despise?

At 13 - other 13 year old girls

At 20 -  I don't despise anyone... Dude, life is good. Want a brownie? How about a veggie burrito? 

Now - myself, when my patience runs dry

What or who is the greatest love of your life?

At 13 - Edward Scissorhands 

At 20 -  maybe someday I'll find love... 

Now - my husband and my daughter

When and where were you happiest?

At 13 - as a kid vacationing at the beach 

At 20 - this is it

Now - in the O.R. with my newborn daughter on my chest

Which talent would you most like to have?

At 13 - I'd love to be a talented writer

At 20 - I'd love to be a talented writer

Now - A very wise mother recently told me, "You'll never be talented at motherhood... But my children have taught me to like blueberries again and to admire bulldozers." So I'd like to be talented at not being talented at motherhood.  But I want to get pretty good at being a mom and learning everything I can from my children.

What is your current state of mind?

At 13 - I'm carefree...

At 20 - you don't want to know

Now - excited, overwhelmed, and tired

If you could change one thing about your family, what would it be?
At 13 - nothing
At 20 - everything
Now - geography 

What do you consider your greatest achievement?

At 13 - turning 13 

At 20 - getting into college 

Now - becoming a mother

If you were to die and come back as a person or thing, what do you think it would be?

At 13 - hopefully someone who has lived through middle school 

At 20 - a nun 

Now - my daughter

If you could choose what to come back as, what would it be?

At 13 - a giraffe

At 20 - a flower child 

Now - myself

Where would you like to live?

At 13 - Italy

At 20 - somewhere warm where I could bask in the sun and sip daiquiris while being fanned by a pool boy

Now - inside my daughter's mind

What is your favorite occupation?

At 13 - Huh?

At 20 - You mean, I have to get a job someday?

Now - SAHM (Stay At Home Mom) 

What is your most marked characteristic?

At 13 - I'm completely insecure, but you'll never know it.

At 20 - I'll work hard and play hard.

Now - I'm the most stubborn person you'll ever meet and I can be pretty sassy at times.

What is the quality you most like in a man?

At 13 - Man? Ew. They're like, old, right?

At 20 - Sensitivity

Now - Humor

What is the quality you most like in a woman?

At 13 - Whatever my mother has going on

At 20 - Humor 

Now - Honesty, and whatever my mother has going on

What do you most value in your friends?

At 13 - Loyalty

At 20 - A safe ride home, a shoulder to cry on, and, oh yeah... thanks for holding my hair back.   

Now - That you're still here, after all these years, all the tears, all the laughter, all the fears, all the heartache, all the pain, all the sunshine, all the rain.

Who are your favorite writers?

At 13 - The people who write Mad 

At 20 - Toni Morrison, William Butler Yeats, Robert Frost 

Now - The folks who write The League

Who is your favorite hero of fiction?

At 13 - Holden Caulfield

At 20 - Holden Caulfield

Now - Holden Caulfield

Who are your heroes in real life?

At 13 - The guys from Dead Poets Society

At 20 - My parents

Now - My parents, my sister, my husband, my daughter

What are your favorite names?

At 13 - Isabella

At 20 - Cassidy, Mackenzie, Morgan, Grace (was I destined to have a girl, or what?) 

Now - Mackenzie, Mackadoodle, Munchkin, Stinker Butt, Stinks Magoo, Sleepy McSleeperstein, ... Kendall Jackson, Nestle Tollhouse, Pauly D, JWoww, Edward Cullen (yeah, still a Twi-hard), Pastre, Rohrbeck

What is it that you most dislike?

At 13 - mean girls

At 20 - immature boys

Now - bad drivers, banana poop diapers, long lines, traffic lights

How would you like to die?

At 13 - never gonna happen

At 20 - anywhere but in this porta potty outside a Phish show

Now - knowing my children are happy

What is your motto?

At 13 - "You'll never have friends like you did when you were 12." ~ Stand By Me

At 20 - "It's 5 o'clock somewhere."

Now - "This, too, shall pass. Tomorrow is a new day. I'm doing the best I can. She'll thank me later. So this is what it's all about."