Interview with Mum

Angela interviews her Mom about Motherhood

Angela: You have always had a strong sense of color and that has been very impactful on me. When did you develop that color sense and how has it evolved?

Ruthie (Mum): I’ve always been in love with pink. From light pink to dark pink – all of them. It’s been that way for a lifetime. I just love pink.

Angela: Growing up on a small island 12 miles off of the coast Maine makes one very attuned to nature and the seasons. Can you share some memories from growing up on North Haven and how nature influenced your daily life?

Ruthie/Mum: Last night was the full moon and to see a big full moon coming up over the bay is so beautiful. I have always loved the tides. Clamming when it is low and swimming when it is high. When the wind blows and the ferry doesn’t go, it changes everything. For that day.

Angela: I am and always will be grateful that I was lucky enough to have such a great mother. You were a young mother, as many were at that time (late 60’s and early 70’s). This may be a loaded question that I don’t want to know the answer to (hahaha) but did motherhood end up being what you envisioned? What were the biggest surprises?

Ruthie/Mum: Every day was an adventure! I think the biggest surprise was when all three of you became independent at a young age. That was a shocker. But after the first few years, nothing was surprising.

Angela: You had three kids (a boy, a girl and then another boy) and while we share a lot of similarities, we are also all quite different. What was that like for you as you got to know us all as we became our own people?

Ruthie/Mum: It was a lot of fun. When you were all little it was a handful. I used to walk you up to the golf course and just let you run and let go of some of your ambition. It was always a great place to go in the off season. We would hunt for feathers – crows, seagulls, eagles…

One of you would inevitably end up in the water. You always managed to find water somewhere – and jump right in it.

Photo Credit: Jocelyn Lee

Angela: Growing up on the island was a dreamy childhood for us. We had so much freedom. The door opened in the morning and we ran out it, coming back exhausted at the end of the day. You and Dad both grew up on the island and so did your father, Grandpa Argyle. Will you please share some favorite memories of growing up on this island?

Ruthie/Mum: The freedom. We had so much freedom to just go play in boats, rowing around, playing in outboards. Dad would let me use his boat and I was allowed to go from one end of the thoroughfare to the other – that was the boundary. But I always pushed the boundary and that’s when things got interesting. I always made it back and it was fun. I have always loved walking on the beach and finding treasures.

Angela: What advice would you give to new Mothers today?

Ruthie/Mum: Hang on! You all were daredevils so I was always afraid you would get hurt. All kids are different. Don’t give up!