FARGO — When you think of TV moms, images of Carol Brady, June Cleaver or Roseanne Conner might come to mind.
But here in Fargo-Moorhead, our favorite TV moms might just be TV news moms — those women we call anchors, reporters and producers, but whom someone else calls Mom.
In honor of Mother's Day, "The Scoop with Tracy Briggs" invited some local media moms to brunch at the Radisson Hotel in downtown Fargo to share their thoughts about what it means to be a mom and maybe give their loved ones a few gift ideas.
It was particularly fun that the four women who were able to join us have been mothers for vastly differing amounts of time. WDAY-TV anchor Amy Unrau is mom to a 6-month old son, and KVRR-TV anchor Alison Voorhees has a son who is 5 months old. KVRR-TV anchor Emily Welker has a 3-year-old daughter, while WDAY-TV anchor Kerstin Kealy has a 15-old-daughter and I have two daughters, 17 and 15.
We could have talked for hours over the decadent pastries, coffee and mimosas.
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Here is just a taste of our conversation with the media moms.
Tracy Briggs: Thank you so much for joining me for this early Mother's Day celebration. Let's start with our very new moms, Amy and Alison. What do you want to do for Mother's Day?
Amy Unrau: We haven't actually talked about plans for it. My plan — in my head — is I'm going to make sure my son sleeps the entire night through. That doesn't happen.
Tracy: That will be easy, right?
Amy: Right, he'll listen to me. He'll give me that (laughs). We'll probably wake up, do some church, get brunch, then a nap — definitely a nap.
Alison Voorhees: I can agree with that. We'll be traveling in the morning but when we get back home, I'm going to want a little bit of sleep. Absolutely sleep. And maybe a clean house, dishes done. Crossing fingers.
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Tracy: Now I'll ask my experienced moms: Do you have some favorite memories of Mother's Days past?
Emily Welker: My daughter was so small when we had our first Mother's Day, so it was kind of a blur. My husband showered me with gifts and she was very excited but it was really about taking the time to breathe and relax in that first year right after you have a baby. I think Mother's Day was the first time I sat down for more than 20 minutes.
Kerstin Kealy: Even as they get older and the sleep is better, now it's baking things for their next event at school or chasing them around to games or doing their laundry so they have a clean uniform, so we might be sleep-deprived for different reasons. I'd love to say I'm so well-rested with a teenager, but that's not the case.
Tracy: Do you think there are gifts all mothers want on Mother's Day?
Emily: Time. More time to spend with our kids. I love just watching her go through things for the first time.
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Kerstin: For me it's time, too. Just last weekend, we were sitting together on a one-person recliner looking at dumb videos on Snapchat and just laughing. It was a snapshot in time. We don't have to be doing anything, just being together.
Alison: I still remember my favorite moment in the hospital. Everybody had left, even my husband. It was just my son and I. We had two hours of just him on my chest. I remember thinking, 'This forever is my favorite moment and I know it right now.'
Amy: I think every mom just wants a happy kid, because that just makes you so much happier.
Tracy: When my daughters ask me what I want, I usually say, "A hug and a kiss and no fighting with your sister."
Alison: I want him to say "Mama." My husband and I will say it's not a competition, but it kind of is. I'd love a "Mama," but it might be a little early for that.
Tracy: But sleep and time are probably on top of the list? Anything else?
Alison: Pampering, pedicures, massages. You can't go wrong with that.
All of the media moms nodded in agreement.
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In June, just in time for Father's Day, watch for our conversation with media dads.
