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May 2003 Column

One of the favorite aspects of my writing career that I enjoy is the chance to mentor other writers. Be it someone in a writing class that I'm teaching or talking to a middle school class about my career choice, it's something that I really enjoy.

My mentoring lately though has come a little closer to home. My daughter, teetering on the brink of her teen years, has decided that she wants to be a cameraperson for the news when she grows up. Thus for the last couple of years she has been filming for AOTV, our local cable station.

Journalism is a bridge that has helped us breech the differences between this pre-teen and her parent. After picking her up from a meeting she's filming, and with her two little brothers tucked snugly in bed, we sit and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate together. For about an hour we are not mother and daughter but two journalists, sharing stories and experience.

She tells me what happened that night and I relate similar meetings that I've covered. She quizzes me on terms like "executive session" and I help her learn the ins and outs of budgets. We share the excitement of covering breaking news and the chance to see democracy in action. She learns that old fashioned mother of hers who nags her about cleaning her room and getting enough sleep might actually know a thing or two.

So what do I get out of mentoring my daughter? Well I have the enjoyment of bringing another journalist into the fold. A chance to realize just how amazing that pre-teen living at the other end of the house is. And a reminder of just how blessed I am to have Samantha in my life.

Carla Charter is mom to Samantha (12), Halden (5), and Mathew (4). In addition to being a mom, Carla is a freelance writer specializing in newspaper and magazine journalism. Among her publication credits are Woman's World, American Indian Report  and New England Business Journal. Online she has been published in Scubasource.com and Military.com. She teaches creative writing courses at Mount Wachusett Community College in Gardner, Ma. Recently her novel Across Lots has been serialized at http://www.newenglandwow.com. She may be reached at cjfreelancewriter@earthlink.net.