Kathy Zucker

Award winning writer • startup founder • mom of 3

momlife

Honor Your Memories Every Day – Erwin Pearl

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Seven years ago, I put this ‪‎sheltie‬ keychain into storage. My tears fell as I gently rubbed the worn spot on the enamel nose. A holiday ‪gift‬ from my ‎husband‬, it once brought me ‪joy‬ every time I opened my front door. After our beloved ‪dog‬ passed away, I could not bear to look at it. The sight of it reminded me of the hole in my heart that can never be filled.

Yesterday, I retrieved the keychain from storage. Placed a set of keys on it. And then tucked it into a tiny secret compartment of my handbag, to carry close to my ‪heart‬ every day.

I used to bring my dog everywhere. Restaurants. Museums. Movie theaters. He attended a screening of Independence Day in Morningside Heights, and barked in response to the dog in the film. For years, anytime I ran into old friends, they jokingly poked my bags to see if my dog was inside. In the wake of 9/11, security everywhere tightened, so the era of bringing my dog anywhere and everywhere ended. By that time, my husband and I owned a home, so leaving our dog behind was more feasible than when we lived with him in a college dorm room.

I adopted my dog when I was a twenty year old college sophomore. I walked into a Manhattan pet store and instantly fell in love with his tiny triangular face resting across his sister’s back. In the years since he passed away, I have stopped into that store several times, trying to recreate that magical moment. I stand in the exact place where I first saw my dog. Stare at the kennel that held him. Look down into the deep triangular basin where the store keeper placed him to leap excitedly toward my hands. I have never loved another animal with the kind of fierce devotion I gave my dog.

My boyfriend and I used to bring our dog on fencing trips. He frolicked on a beach with fencers. Sat sedately beneath chairs on airplanes and in restaurants, his wet black nose snuffling my hand as I slipped him treats. Once, we forgot him in our rush to board a plane. A fierce bark caused me and my boyfriend to yell at each other to keep him quiet before we realized that neither of us had him. Out of the bag, he was my constant shadow, bringing smiles to faces as we passed people on sidewalks. Look, Lassie got shrunk in the dryer! a person called.

I have slowly stopped looking for him every time I feel something brush against my leg. Stopped automatically making room for him to jump up on the bed. I look longingly at every sheltie I see, seeking resemblances to my dog. My dog made a major impact on my life. In many ways, he is the reason why I work from home. I could never spend enough time with him, and now the same holds true with my children.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Teach Your Kids Loyalty – Chicago Cubs

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I want to wear my ‪Cubs‬ shirt, the toddler says. Her big ‪brother‬ and ‪sister‬ are scurrying around searching for jerseys and hats ‪branded‬ with the logo of their favorite ‪baseball‬ ‪team‬. It is ‪Jersey Day at ‪school‬, and my youngest child wants to wear a ‪sports‬ ‪outfit‬ to ‪preschool‬ so she looks just like the big ‪kids‬.

I locate her ‪pink‬ jersey. A pair of leggings are next to it. ‪Frozen‬ socks. I have never seen her get dressed this fast, this early. When ‪my husband‬ emerges from his room to drive the kids to school, all three of them are ready to go. Bye, ‪mom‬, her voice calls as it fades in the distance.

Being a Chicago Cubs fan in the New York City area is difficult. My oldest child has come home crying after being teased by classmates for wearing a Cubs shirt. We tell her it’s okay to be a Yankees fan. But time after time, she reaches for her Cubs shirt even though she knows she will be greeted by derision instead of smiles. A few months ago, my husband scoured New York sports stores looking for Cubs gear to give the kids as holiday gifts. He found a surprising quantity of items but ultimately headed online because he knew the girls would prefer to wear pink.

And now? They wear their Cubbie shirts and hats with pride.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Love Every Version Of Your Child

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Black. Hispanic. ‪Asian‬. Curly hair. Straight hair. Blonde hair with blue eyes. Male. Female. What do all these things have in common? They are all versions of my ‪baby‬.

How is this possible? you ask. My ‪kids‬ are ‪‎mixed-race‬ ‪Chinese‬ and ‪Jewish‬. For the last two years, ‪artist‬ ‪Laura Tuzio Ross has crafted ‪doll‬ versions of my youngest ‪child‬ while experimenting with ‪ethnicity‬ and ‪gender‬.

We rarely get to look at ourselves from outside our comfort zone. I have to say it was a shock to visit my ‪social media‬ feed and see pictures pop up of my baby that took me a minute to recognize. But yet, there was something familiar about every one. And each time? I ‪loved‬ my child no matter what configuration she appeared in.

I have been writing for the last seven years. In the beginning, I wrote to share information. But then, writing became the gateway to conversations. I  made friends who have opened their hearts and lives to me and my family. I have learned about broadcast journalism. Art. Startups. Social media. Talk shows. Each time, I come away filled with awe at the incredible amount of work, dedication and skill that goes into each profession.

Everything that is worthwhile in life takes sacrifice and hard work. I am grateful to be able to get glimpses of so many different experiences when people share their personal and professional lives with me.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Clothe Your Children In Love

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Her eyes open in the darkness. I don’t want to miss ‪‎school‬, she says. Okay. She drinks her ‪chocolate‬ milk snuggled into a soft blanket. I dress her in the same spot. ‪Sparkle‬ pants. Flowered top. Soft, snuggly jacket. Scuffed ‪pink‬ boots. Every garment she wears is one that she has ‪loved‬ for years.

Each time she insists on clinging to a beloved and outgrown piece of clothing, I scour the mall and auction sites to find larger versions. And the next winter? Her face fills with ‪joy‬ when she sees familiar favorites that are magically large enough to fit.

Every step I take this winter is filled with nostalgia. I visit baby stores for the last time. After this year, my youngest child will be too big to wear size 5T. I smile at new mothers struggling to calm fussy infants as we both stand in the checkout line. They note the pile of soft, sparkly, pink clothing in my shopping cart and ask about my children. Their eyes widen when I tell them I have three kids, ages nine, eight and three. How do you do it? one mom asks. It’s hard, I reply. I thought I was going to die for the first six years. By the time I had the third kid, I knew what to do, so life got a lot easier.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Share Leadership Opportunities

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I made a new ‪invention‬, my eight year old ‪son‬ says. Want to come see it? I follow him into the kitchen, where he shows me a plate of scrambled egg on toast. He is supervising his ‪toddler‬ ‎sister‬ in cooking Sunday ‪brunch‬. And now? They are going to ‎eat‬ their ‪creation‬.

For the last nine years, my ‪children‬ have been keenly interested in ‪cooking‬. Every time they see me or their ‪father‬ in the kitchen, they beg to ‪help‬. An affirmative answer leads to a race to tie hair back in pony tails. Wash hands. Don aprons. Plastic knives cut ‎fruit‬ and ‪vegetables‬. Tiny hands whisk eggs. In the past, my eldest ‪child‬ has supervised kitchen activities. Now that she is absorbed with her brand-new laptop, it is my middle child’s turn to be in charge.

Over the last ten years, my weight has ballooned up and down during the course of three pregnancies. With the birth of each child, the challenge grows to feed them healthy food. For years, my husband threw out rotten food. Fruits and vegetables went bad as tiny people refused to eat them. In my sleep-deprived haze, I often forgot about prepared meals sitting in the refrigerator. How did I solve the food dilemma? By cooking with my children. I found that when I take them grocery shopping, thy are much more likely to eat foods they choose themselves. When we cook as a family, parents and children eat healthy vegetarian meals – and finish the leftovers.

Cooking became a fun activity to fill cold winter days. As my children grew older, they grew in confidence, to the point where my eldest child is able to produce three-course meals on her own – complete with homemade dessert. Do they make messes? Absolutely yes. But with every experience creating food for themselves and family members, each kid grows in confidence and independence.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.

Support Your Community With Every Step You Take – Physiclo

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I am getting a ‪‎workout‬ standing here ‪‎talking‬ to you, I say. I am standing inside a ‪‎party‬ room at a movie theater. Moments before, the ‪‎dad‬ of the birthday ‪‎girl‬ offered me a chair. My ‪‎friend‬ gestured for me to take it, but I declined, pointing to my pants. Why? Because I am wearing special leggings with resistance bands built in. Every step I take gives me a workout and helps me build muscle. They are made by a ‪‎startup‬, one of the owners is a ‪‎fencing‬ ‪‎Olympic‬ ‪‎medalist‬. That is so cool, my friend says. And then? She starts talking about her new ‪‎business‬ venture and how she would ‪‎love‬ for me to get involved with it.

When is your ‪United Nations speech? my friend asks. In two weeks, I reply. That is why I am wearing these pants, because I need to get in shape. I have a series of ‪‎events‬ to attend beginning in March, and I need to step up my diet and exercise so I look good. The timing could not be better to receive these pants because I don’t get as much exercise in ‪‎NYC‬ winter as in summer.

Fitness is a constant challenge. For the last ten years, my workout routine has consisted of lifting toddlers and taking them for long walks. Each winter, I gain weight and lose muscle. Each summer, I grow lean, fit and tanned. So when I saw a Kickstarter campaign for my friend’s company pop up on my social media feed, I was intrigued. And the more I read? The more I knew I had to try a pair of resistance leggings.

Today, I wore my Physiclo pants for the first time. And the result? After a day of normal weekend activity, my legs are aching.

Kathy Zucker is an international social media Shorty Award winner, mother of three and a startup founder at companies including the Metro Moms Network®.