MamaDrama Interviewed Me!

Once upon a time there was a woman named Sarah Fader who hated Twitter. She thought it was silly and an overly simplified version of Facebook. One day, she started to meet amazing people on the bird website known as Twitter. One of those fantastic people she met was named Holly Rosen Fink. 

Holly and her partner Erin Leigh Peck, it turned out, ran an awesome company called MamaDrama Consulting where they promoted artistic ventures to parents, and (more specifically) moms. Sarah Fader was a mom, and she was dramatic.

It was a match made in drama heaven. Sarah Fader was invited to see some of these these fabulous artistic experiences, and she wrote about them on her blog.

One day, Holly Rosen Fink sent Sarah Fader an email asking if she could interview her. Sarah Fader was flattered. She blushed. And then she answered emphatically:

"I would be honored."

Here's what Sarah Fader had to say**:

We continue our new “5 Minutes” series profiling our network’s members with Sarah Fader.  Sarah blogs over at Old School New School Mom about her life as a mother.  She writes honestly about every aspect and will bring you to tears (often from laughter) through her words.  Here’s what we found out when we spent 5 minutes with Sarah Fader – about her, her blog, her passion, motherhood and more.

MamaDrama: Tell us about your blog.  When did you start writing and what do you write about?

Sarah: I started Old School New School Mom in 2009, when my son, Ari,  was 11 months old. I felt like time was going so quickly and he was changing and growing so fast. I wanted a way to document my life as a mother. I’ve been writing since I was six years old, so it’s always been a passion of mine, writing is like breathing to me.

It was hard to come up with a name for my blog. My best friend Mint and I talked about it in great detail. I tossed ideas around with her over the phone while my son was ripping up tissue paper. The inspiration for the name was my internal struggle as a mother to balance things that my parents had taught me as well as ideas that have been around for centuries (Old School) with concepts that have surfaced with the advent of technology and media (New School). I’m on the fence about technology with regard to parenting. I do believe that some technological developments are helpful to kids, i.e my son has learned copious amounts of information from playing on the IPad. However, there is nothing that can replace a good book. Reading to your child is unique and fundamental parenting experience that nothing in technology can replicate.

MamaDrama: How has being a mother changed your life?

Sarah: Motherhood has changed every single aspect of my life. I don’t know what it means to sleep in anymore. I have sacrificed most everything for my kids, including but not limited to the right to pee and shower by myself or have uninterrupted telephone or in-person conversations with other adults. My state of mind has changed more than anything. Instead of buying new clothes for myself, I buy a new toy for my kids.

Surprisingly, despite my lack of bathroom alone time and adult interactions, I do love being a mother. I watch my kids grow change into bigger and better humans each day, and that makes my lack of sanity worth it.

MamaDrama: What is your vision of motherhood?

Sarah: Mothers are super heros. They don’t sleep, they have cat like reflexes that stop a baby from putting a coin in her mouth when she’s 20 feet across the room, they know when something just “isn’t right.” They can solve anything by kissing it and making it better. They’re selfless, they’re exhausted, if they had a salary that marked what they were actually worth it would knock Bill Gates out of the park.

MamaDrama: What have you learned about yourself through your writing?

Sarah: I’ve learned and relearned who I am, and how I feel through my writing time and time again. Sometimes I don’t know how I feel about something until I write it down. Writing is a deep catharsis for me that is irreplaceable. It’s like a lover who understands me through and through. I can always count on it to be there for me.

MamaDrama: How important has your blog been for you?

Sarah: Writing my blog has showed me that I’m not alone. Being a mother can feel isolating at times. I’ve connected with so many wonderful people through my blog that have shown me that I am absolutely not alone.

MamaDrama: What are some of the topics or causes you champion?

Sarah: I suppose the cause I’m the most passionate about is diversity and tolerance. I grew up in a culturally diverse city, New York. In my elementary school alone, there were kids from all over the world. I want my children to grow up to be understanding of people from different cultures, and backgrounds. We are all human beings, and it’s important to try to understand one another, while taking into account our differences. Every person has something special to bring to the table.

MamaDrama: What’s in store for you and your blog in the upcoming year?

Sarah: The truth? I don’t know! I’m living life day by day, minute by minute, second by second. I will promise you this, I intend to continue having crazy adventures with my kids.

MamaDrama: Lastly, your favorite theater memory:

Sarah: I went to F.H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts where I majored in Drama. In my Sophomore year, I was going through a very difficult time emotionally. It was during a period where I was doing a scene from Anne Frank. The day came to perform the scene, I played Anne. I took everything I was feeling, all the sadness, the anger, the wanting to be loved and transferred it to my role as Anne. It was the deepest catharsis I’ve ever had as an actress. I’ll never forget that scene.

Follow Sarah on Facebook or Twitter at @osnsmom and stay tuned for another 5 Minutes profile of a member of the MamaDrama network every day this week.

**Thank you to the lovely Holly Rosen Fink for interview! To see the original interview click here.