Where in the world do you live? And, are you from there?
I was born and raised in Arkansas and have lived in the capital city, Little Rock, for the majority of my life.
What language(s) do you speak?
Southern English. It’s definitely a language of it’s own!
When did you first become a mother?
At 22, I gave birth to my oldest son, Isaiah Rashaan. A year and a half later, my second son, Elijah Daniel, spent 24 days with us before he left this world. In 2001, my last boy, Caleb Daniel, completed our little family.
Are you a stay-at-home mom or do you work?
For most of my motherhood years, I have worked outside of the home. Currently, I work full-time as a Human Resource Specialist for a large manufacturer and pursue my college Bachelor degree full time, too.
Why do you blog/write?
Sadly, I don’t even know that I should be answering this question because due to my busy schedule, I no longer keep a personal blog. These days, my writing consists of a monthly contribution to World Moms Blog and papers that I write for school. However, my love of writing goes back to my youth. It’s the one artistic avenue where I have a tiny bit of talent!
How would you say that you are different from other mothers?
It’s hard for me to admit this but for the most part, I have been anything but a “good” mother. Unfortunately, I spent far too many years invested in alcohol, drugs and men. As a single parent, many times I left the mothering up to my mother while I searched for myself. In addition to passing most of the early years in a haze, there was also a stint in federal prison that took me from my children. However, that was my bottom; my literal life saving moment.
My children are older now and my life has changed in so many ways for the better. They know that I am not perfect and that every decision has a consequence. I am not ashamed of my past, and I appreciate that it brought me to this much better place of mothering.
What do you view as the challenges of raising a child in today’s world?
As a white woman raising two biracial boys, I find the biggest challenge is teaching them to love themselves unconditionally. Since this is something that I struggled with for many years, I don’t want them to travel my path. Living in the deep South is not always the most accepted place for interracial relationships/biracial children, so that they are Ok with who they are is a big deal to me.
How did you find World Moms Blog?
Through my dear friend, Kirsten Doyle, who was one of the first writers for the blog.
What do you like best about writing for World Moms Blog?
I only have to write about once a month. 🙂
Do you have a question for Margie?
Margie Bryant can be found on Twitter @TheHunnyB.
Photo credit to the author.
Margie, how great to get to know you a bit better. I appreciate your openness in this post, and think it’s awesome that you have managed to make sense of your past. I wish you and your boys all the very best.
Thank you for your kind words!
Thank you so much for your kind words.
I am so honoured to be able to say that I’ve seen you turn your life around in a spectacular way and grow into the inspirational person you are today. I am truly proud that I can count myself as one of your friends.
Kirsten
GIrl, I owe you for SO many Dr. Phil sessions AND for for introducing me to this wonderful site. Thank you!
That’s an inspirational story, Margie, and I agree about how great it is to hear you share that openly.
Enjoying getting to know my fellow writers! (Says the newbie)
Thank you, I find that openly talking about my past helps me to move forward. So glad to have you here!
I enjoy your posts, Margie, and I further enjoy getting to know you better. I applaud your honesty and courage to seek out new beginnings in life. Thanks for being part of the blog and letting us all be part of your life!
Thank you Tara, I appreciate your kind words. I have been a bad blogger, not responding to posts, ect. I am trying to do better!
Margie,
Thank you for being so candid. The more World Moms Blog interview posts I read, the more excited I get about how diverse the group of women that writes with us really is. And, there’s still many more to come!
(Also, I will now be reading all your posts with a Southern accent in my head!)
Jen
Well bless your heart, thank you! Can I just keep calling you Veronica? 🙂 My accent isn’t as strong as other family members, four years in Vegas corrected a few things. Like “fixin to”, ect. Thank you for allowing me to write for your blog, it is truly an honor.
Margie,
I enjoyed reading your interview questions. I view you as such a strong woman, someone to definitely admire. My best friend is a single parent and was just visiting us this past weekend. I tip my hat off to her because parenting is the hardest thing in the world and to do it on your own is much more challenging.
I don’t even know how you survived losing your second son. How did you cope, what got you through? I don’t know if you’ve written a post on that yet, but I’d be very interested in reading it. I cannot imagine anything more horrific than losing my children. Sounds like you’ve found peace in your life and I am happy for you that you have.
Thank you Courtney, that was really nice of you to say. I must admit, I would be LOST without my family, especially my mother. My boys are truly loved and supported by more than just me.
I am scheduled to write this week and after your comment, I decided to write about Elijah. His 14th birthday was on June 8th and keeping his memory alive is very important to me.
Margie,
I enjoyed reading your interview questions. I view you as such a strong woman, someone to definitely admire. My best friend is a single parent and was just visiting us this past weekend. I tip my hat off to her because parenting is the hardest thing in the world and to do it on your own is much more challenging.
I don’t even know how you survived losing your second son. How did you cope, what got you through? I don’t know if you’ve written a post on that yet, but I’d be very interested in reading it. I cannot imagine anything more horrific than losing my children. Sounds like you’ve found peace in your life and I am happy for you that you have.
Thank you Courtney, that was really nice of you to say. I must admit, I would be LOST without my family, especially my mother. My boys are truly loved and supported by more than just me.
I am scheduled to write this week and after your comment, I decided to write about Elijah. His 14th birthday was on June 8th and keeping his memory alive is very important to me.
Margie,
you sound like a very interesting person! You’ve got a lot to say, and I think that many can learn from you! Welcome!
Thank you. More than anything, I hope I teach people that anyone is capable of change, if they are willing to work. It’s never too late.
Margie,
you sound like a very interesting person! You’ve got a lot to say, and I think that many can learn from you! Welcome!
Hello Margie.
You seem to be an interesting person. I appreciate your strength and applaud at the way you have dealt with your life.
I cannot even imagine the grief of losing a child. You are one courageous person. Peace!
I appreciate your words, thank you!