Finding Ninee » Sharing our parenting and special needs stories with heart and humor.

10 Reasons I’m Thankful for Other People’s Stories

I’m thankful for other people’s stories. Last night, I had the opportunity to participate in the Listen To Your Mother DC Show rehearsal.

Honestly, I wasn’t feeling all that great when I left for it. I was tired, having dealt with my son’s waking up at 1:30am and standing over me whispering “Mommy?” after I’d been asleep for a whopping 20 minutes.

As always, it began with me taking 15 minutes to close his bedroom door, so that he’d not realize he was the only one asleep:

Mom quietly closing baby door sleep

When all of a sudden, it was all like ME TIME!!!

Whoot! Time for some me time!

It is me time on computer mom

I typed and I typed, and I decided to go to sleep.

At 1:10 am.

At 1:32 am, this happened:

Wake up Mommy one eye open tired

As in, “ARE YOU FUCKING KIDDING ME?”

Anyway, we went back to his bed, and I fell asleep, only to awake three hours later, realize where I was, and not be able to fall back to sleep.

In addition to being tired, I worried about the fact that my husband was going to have to put our son Tucker to bed, by himself – and for those of you who know anything about Tucker, special needs, or autism, you know that routine is huge – and that, for obvious reasons, I was worried about both of them. I was worried about my husband enduring the heartbreak of hearing “but now it’s Mommy’s turn,” and I was worried about my son wondering why I wasn’t here for him.

They did fine, though, and I’m thankful for that. I’d also have been fine with coming home to find them both awake, bright-eyed, or bleary-eyed, waiting for me.

Last night, I was listening to amazing stories.

For those of you unfamiliar with The Listen To Your Mother Show, it’s basically a live show, run in 37 cities across the US, designed to honor Mother’s Day. Each person reads something original, for about five minutes, highlighting motherhood. Each story does not need to be written by a mother, nor a woman.  It just needs to be about motherhood.

To be honest, I had no idea how powerful rehearsal was going to be. Listening to 13 other women share funny, heartbreaking, honest, and incredibly real stories, out loud, was refreshing, confirming, and nothing less than awe-inspiring. You can purchase your tickets here.

I read a lot of blogs. I read a lot of books. I consider myself to be full of empathy, compassion, understanding, and acceptance. And, mostly, I am those things.

Still, sitting around a table in a too-lit, over-crowded room, full of mostly strangers and mostly new friends, listening to them be powerful, vulnerable, and brave, was nothing short of incredible.

It made me realize that this week, I have 10 reasons that I’m thankful for other people’s stories. Not just the Listen To Your Mother Stories, but all of the stories. Your stories, mine, and those that remain unheard.

  1. Community. Motherhood, especially when new, can be incredibly lonely. It is, I think, the biggest thing that a person goes through. Every sequential thing that we go through is filtered, due to the fact that we’re moms.
  2. Heartbreak. Hard to share out loud, and yet, shared. Universally. In all the many different ways.
  3. The different ways.
  4. Laughter. I laughed my ass off at some of these stories. They’re that funny. And cried. Oh I cried, too.
  5. I’m not the only person who likes to say “fuck.” Enough said, there.
  6. Special needs.
  7. It’s the telling of the stories that makes them have light. It’s the telling them in person that gives them power.
  8. The untold stories. One woman shared something about her past that made me realize, again, how many of us don’t share things with our “In Real Life” people. Because we can’t, don’t want to, or haven’t felt the opening to do so. With that in mind:
  9. Writing. The fact that it felt like all of us shared personal stories through writing, but somehow came to the realization that “hey! I’ll bet I could read this. In public, even!” is scary, and affirming.  Possibly fucking crazy. But worth it.
  10. Worth it. I can’t tell you how energizing it was to be in this room with a bunch of women whose names I did not know a month ago, and who have now, through their stories, become cherished by me.

All of us have stories. You do, I do, and our children will. Our great great grandparents did, and yet here we are, with the power of online connections and shows like Listen to Your Mother. Everybody has a story. It’s important to tell yours. Out loud, or silently, in a journal. They matter.  As do we.

I’m thankful for Listen to Your Mother. For other people’s stories. 

stories

Ten Things of Thankful

Your hosts: A Fly on our (Chicken Coop) Wall, Amycake and the Dude, Considerings, Finding Ninee, Getting Literal, I Want Backsies, Mother of Imperfection, Rewritten, Thankful Me, The Wakefield Doctrine



  • Dana - You already know how I feel, but reading this got me even more excited for the show. When I’m feeling like my writing isn’t good enough, I will remind myself if what you said here. It’s my story to tell, and it’s important. It matters. And in thankful that you always help remember that.April 7, 2014 – 7:00 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I know, Dana – I get more and more excited for the show, too! It’s going to be great. Your writing is always good enough. It matters. Thanks mucho friend. I hope I’ll be seeing you at the Baltimore show!!April 7, 2014 – 6:29 pmReplyCancel

  • clark - there is something about real reality that has a certain quality…not affecting the experience but definitely affecting the …energy/excitement/something-osity of event.
    (the old Latinians had an expression, sine qua non which I think of when trying to reconcile the real world with the ‘sphere. while certainly obvious on one level, the fact is, for many of us, the real world is being made more… realer (at least to the extent of variety and range) by virtue of the virtual world.

    ya know?April 7, 2014 – 7:08 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - YES! The real world was totally made more real for me by virtue of itself. I know.April 7, 2014 – 6:37 pmReplyCancel

  • christine - Oh Kristi, I am so excited for you! You are a perfect person for this show. (I can say this, since I have seen you “in person” on a vidchat. I can tell, you are a great in person storyteller.)
    And after this raving review, I shall have to look into getting tickets to the show in Indianapolis. I love stories, both the telling of and the listening to.April 7, 2014 – 7:30 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Christine, you really should go to the show near you and audition next year. I honestly did not realize how amazing it’s going to be until listening to these amazing women share really powerful stories. I felt unworthy of course but am so happy to be able to participate in it!April 7, 2014 – 6:39 pmReplyCancel

  • Kenya G. Johnson - I’m glad you had a good time. Love your end – our stories matter as do we.

    And isn’t it something how stressed out we can get thinking nobody can fill our shoes in our routine and then it goes just fine 😉April 7, 2014 – 7:39 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - So true, Kenya, thinking “no way will husband be able to xyz” and then it’s fine! Ha. And yes, our stories are important, and ours, and they should be shared and documented. I know Christopher’s children will one day cherish his chronicles and your writing. It’s important!April 7, 2014 – 6:40 pmReplyCancel

  • Janine Huldie - I love that you are getting this chance and sounds like you had a great time. On a side note, my girls still look for me to put them to bed, too and I always feel guilty if I have to be out of the house at bedtime for them and rarely am, but still could relate to that.April 7, 2014 – 7:48 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Aw, love the girls still want you to help them get to bed – it’s a tradition really. And thanks, Janine. I’m really getting excited about the show.April 7, 2014 – 6:41 pmReplyCancel

  • Misty @ West KY Mom - do people ever complain about your use of swear words? i, for one, find swear words to be a very good means of communication. when someone drops the f-bomb, buddy, you know she’s serious!

    Listen to Your Mother sounds like an awesome experience. if it ends up on youtube, please post a link! and kuddos for having the guts to get up and speak in front of a group! are you going to share with us the story you’re telling for the event??? i’m all ears!

    oh, and i started a new blog. felt like the other one should be mostly about “family” stuff. the new one is my attempt to share what our school experiences are like. did i mention that i’m really starting to dislike public school?April 7, 2014 – 9:18 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I’ve only had a couple of people complain about the swear words on here, and I’m always a little surprised because I was raised in a house that swore, really. People at work swear, I swear but also don’t want my son to so do watch my language around him.
      And it will be posted on YouTube, so I’ll definitely share the link. We are supposed to keep our stories that we’re telling a secret but it has to do with Tucker 😉
      I love your new blog, Misty!! It’s great! Ugh to starting to dislike public school. I’m really nervous about kindergarten next year already, and have already considered what to do if it doesn’t work out well. Hope you can get things to where they work better for P.April 7, 2014 – 6:45 pmReplyCancel

      • Misty @ West KY Mom - the folks in her school building are great, i don’t always feel like we are on the same page, but it’s a great bunch of people. our schooling options are pretty limited here, so home school is pretty much our only other option. sad, but true. can’t wait to see the performance!April 8, 2014 – 7:08 amReplyCancel

  • Tamara - I’m so with you on the “f” word. Not sure why I didn’t write it out there, though.
    I’m so thankful for other people’s stories, and other people’s stories of motherhood. I know for a fact it helped shape me into a blogger.April 7, 2014 – 10:25 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - I’m so thankful for other people’s stories, and other people’s motherhood, too! And I love that you put it that way, Tamara!April 7, 2014 – 7:21 pmReplyCancel

  • Callie Feyen - I loved reading this, Kristi. And I LOVED meeting you and listening to your story along with the rest of the cast. It was a special evening.
    PS- Those cartoons at the beginning of this post made me laugh so hard I cried a little bit. 🙂April 7, 2014 – 1:28 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Thanks, Callie. I loved meeting you too and LOVED your reading as well. You’re right that it was a special evening! haha to laughing until we cry 😉April 7, 2014 – 7:22 pmReplyCancel

  • SArah - Fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck, fuck. You’re definitely not the only one! Such emotional relief on one simple word.April 7, 2014 – 1:52 pmReplyCancel

  • Lori Lavender Luz - What a worthy thing to be thankful for, other people’s stories.

    Also, LTYM can bring other synchronicities and reconnections 🙂

    I’ll be cheering for you from out here, and waiting eagerly to see the video when it comes out.April 7, 2014 – 3:21 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Thanks, Lori and you’re right that the the lovely YOU synchronicity and reconnection from last year was amazing. I’m going to freak out if another CFU person comes out from this years 😉April 7, 2014 – 7:26 pmReplyCancel

  • Lanaya | Raising Reagan - Wait .. what? Me time at 1am isn’t acceptable? LOL!
    Isn’t it crazy? Rey has gone through this phase as of late to be up every fucking night at around 1:30am. Of course, Brian is through his REM pattern which makes me want to stab him even more because I have to get out of bed and deal with Rey. Oh the craziness!!!
    I just love you mama!

    xoxo
    LanayaApril 7, 2014 – 7:15 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - Crap, Lanaya, sorry to hear about Rey’s 1:30am BS and yes, 1am ME TIME rocks. Until the kid comes around at 1:30 and the hubs is snoring…sigh…
      Love you back, you little swearing sailor, you!April 7, 2014 – 7:36 pmReplyCancel

  • KeAnne - Welcome to the LTYM family! I’ve been reading you for a while, but this is my first time commenting. This is my second year co-producing the show in NC, and it has been a wonderful, life-changing experience. I look forward to seeing your show video!April 7, 2014 – 7:16 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - KeAnne, thank you so much. I can’t begin to express how amazingly powerful Saturday night’s read-through was, but as a producer, you must already know what I’m just discovering. I can’t wait to see all of the shows! What an amazing idea and concept.April 7, 2014 – 7:43 pmReplyCancel

  • Parenting Tips - I love reading other stories from other people’s blogs. It helps me realize that we all struggle in one area or another, I can possible brighten someone’s day with a simple comment or virtual hug, or can related to their story and give them words of encouragement.

    I too have been in your situation where I had just drifted off to sleep only to hear my youngest son crying because he was having a bad dream or wanted his mama. I am usually the one to get up no matter how much sleep or lack of sleep that I get because I stay home with him during the day.April 7, 2014 – 7:22 pmReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - We really do all struggle in one way or another, and we share more commonality than differences, I think. The thing is, sometimes, I think bloggers get caught in thinking they need “niches” and while that’s true to an extent, it’s also meaningless because it’s all of our stories – the similar ones, and the different ones – that really bring us together in our uniqueness, in my opinion. Thanks so much for the visit and the comment!April 7, 2014 – 7:56 pmReplyCancel

  • Kristi - Everyone has a story, and we can all learn from the stories of others. It sounds like you had a really great time, and I’m glad that things went well at home in your absence.April 8, 2014 – 12:13 amReplyCancel

  • karen - Great post and so true…knowing you are not alone, that other mothers are just like you…even if all our kids are different…we are pretty much the same. We love our kids, but need time for ourselves, we need to be connected and feelApril 8, 2014 – 9:55 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - My biggest hope on the planet is that people realize that us mamas are more similar than different. Thanks, Karen, big thanks. We do need time, to connect, and to remember that we’re not alone. None of us. Ever.April 8, 2014 – 10:26 pmReplyCancel

  • zoe - weren’t you the one who was so worried they might not want you to swear at this thing? Just Answer f*** yeah.April 8, 2014 – 5:31 pmReplyCancel

  • Lady Lilith - I also really enjoy the community aspect of blogging. I have made so many wonderful friends and contacts.April 9, 2014 – 12:22 amReplyCancel

  • Kimberly - It’s incredible right? You can read the stories, but to hear them from the mouths behind the actual words, you can feel them.
    It’s amazing.April 9, 2014 – 7:37 amReplyCancel

    • Kristi Campbell - YES YES YES, exactly what you said. I can’t wait to see yours on You Tube. I wish I lived close enough to come see your performance live because you’re going to be amazing.April 9, 2014 – 10:01 amReplyCancel

  • Rachel - I’m so glad you had fun, Kristi! And you got to have a happy ending to this story.April 11, 2014 – 1:27 pmReplyCancel

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