APPLICANT #15: Rosemary Garner

Rosemary Garner is a mother of a one from Seattle, Washington.

Here is Rosemary's video application:

Here is Rosemary's current situation:

"Living a very rewarding life. That’s what I’m up to. I am a Seattle mommy and a television producer. Since 1991, I have produced PBS documentaries and public affairs programs for local, national and international audiences. For three years, I also produced a Northwest business and finance series called Serious Money. Now I am part of a larger trend in this industry. I work freelance. It has its ups and downs. Yes, I produced music videos with Weird Al last year, but no, I don’t have decent health insurance. 

This weekend, I celebrated a big birthday with sushi and Trophy cupcakes on the menu. My daughter knitted an unbelievable scarf for me.

This is what’s on my To Do list today:

• Back up iPhoto library
• Reply to mounting pile of e-mails
• Get oil changed
• Deal with fruit-fly situation
• Sign up for after-school rock climbing
• Schedule play dates with Josie and Alexander
• Teach my girl the art of flossing
• Make a pot of millet for my sick friend
• Research a better health insurance option
• Eat more leafy greens
• Get the scoop on Cartwheel Checking
• Be grateful for all the bad things that DIDN’T happen today—like the fact that I didn’t hit that cyclist on my way home, I didn’t twist my ankle while taking out the recycling and I didn’t forget to bring TWO bags on this morning’s dog walk!"

Here is Rosemary's blog post:

"The Parenting Paradox Or The Puppy Wrangler

Last night, my nine-year-old was counting money. She often dumps her jar of change onto the floor and goes into sort of a trance-like state of counting coins. (Okay, I’ll admit, maybe I AM kind of stingy with the TV time around here!) Anyway, mid-count, she looked up at me and asked whether or not I got an allowance as a kid. From the time this girl could talk, she’s taken a keen interest in my childhood—she never tires of hearing about it. Once on a road trip, she pestered me so much about wanting more stories that I eventually just said, “Okay, let me start at the beginning.” I proceeded to tell her my LIFE story. From Portland to Seattle, my kid listened to every single thing I could remember. My throat ached by the time we got home. She still remembers that trip.

Allowance? Well, I debated about whether or not to share this one. Didn’t want to give the kid any ideas. But…

I grew up in a tiny house in Texas with three younger brothers. Financially, things were always bleak…so much so that when I was 10, I decided to scour the Sunday paper for lost pets in hopes that I would find one and reap a reward. One weekend, I noticed that there was a “Free Pet” section, which was right next to the “Pets for Sale” column. Putting two and two together, I quickly became the fastest puppy handler in town. I still can’t believe my parents condoned this, but every weekend I would find a free litter of puppies in the paper, relieve the grateful dog owners of ALL their puppies, take them home, tie red ribbons around their necks, put ‘em in a laundry basket and head to the mall. (Usually I borrowed my neighbor’s encyclopedia to take a quick look at the dog breeds and invent some likely combinations.) My mom or dad would drop me off near the fountain and I would proceed to sell the little buggers for 10 bucks apiece. Every weekend shoppers would stop and melt over the irresistible puppy pile. I would tell them they were a mix of whatever sounded good and I would sell all five or six pups. My pockets were full. I used the money to buy things that mattered to me like shoes, yarn and Twinkies.

True story.

Of course, the idea of my kid EVER doing anything like that makes me feel…um…how to put? NOT GOOD. But here’s the thing: What I want more than anything in the entire world is for my favorite little earthling to be healthy and happy. A big part of that requires that we draw on our inner strength to be resourceful and resilient. But parenting is filled with paradox, and sometimes doing it right feels like life’s riddle. The very experiences that help build character and self-confidence are the lemons I’d really rather not pass along to my child. Ultimately, I think the challenge is in providing meaningful opportunities for them to develop survival skills that will make adulthood less of a rude awakening!

Rosemary"

The Verity Mom Team