My mother and I split ways when I was very young and have never really reconciled.

I learned early on that family, as far as my mother and father, were not an option.

It's never too late. Don't focus on what was taken away. Find something to replace it, and acknowledge the blessing you have.

When you're young, you're always wondering when you're actually going to feel like a grownup. And I think you probably fear it, in a sense, too. There's a danger to feeling like an adult... like this whimsical kid in you is going to die or something. And then all of a sudden, one day you kind of feel like an adult and it's really nice.

My mother used to dress rather risque when I was a kid, and that sort of shocked me. I always thought moms were supposed to wear cardigans and flats, but she was in leather bracelets and minidresses. In hindsight, it was pretty cool, but I'm probably more conservative because of it.

I'm a real stay-at-home mom. I'm really hands-on. Everything else became secondary.