Megan Cyrulewski is an amazing and interesting young woman, one I have been privileged to know. Weeks ago I did this interview with Megan, but then the Highway 530 Mudslide hit and swallowed all of my time as effectively as it swallowed the tiny community of Hazel, Washington.
Megan Cerulewski is an interesting woman. She is an attorney, a single parent, and a writer who runs a blog that benefits other authors. I was pleased when she agreed to an interview. What Megan has to say is worth listening to. I hope you enjoy meeting this fascinating woman as much as I did.
Do you see yourself as a ‘strong woman’?
This is an interesting question because if you had asked me three years ago, I would have said no. Today, however, I know I am a strong woman. I overcame a lot in a short amount of time and even though there were times when I wanted to give up, all I had to do was look at Madelyne. She is the reason why I’m stronger than ever.
How would you define strong women?
I think it depends on the situation. Strong women can be visible such as Hilary Clinton or can be a woman like my mother who was a stay-at-home mom. I believe every woman is a strong woman; some just take a little bit longer to find their inner strength.
What are some of the things you are doing to help your daughter grow into a confident, independent woman?
I have to admit that I’m a little overprotective when it comes to Madelyne because of the situation with her father. However, I also try my best to let Madelyne be who she wants to be. I make sure to praise her intelligence and encourage her love of reading. I think education is the key to becoming confident and independent, and I don’t mean just inside of a classroom. For example, in the summer, I take her to Greenfield Village (an outdoor museum near metro-Detroit), the Zoo or our local Nature Center so she can ask questions and expand her knowledge base. As Sesame Street always states, “The more you know, the smarter you grow!”
What do you think of the “Ban Bossy” project?
I absolutely love and encourage this project and I will tell you why. When I was in 5th grade, I was the only girl on our elementary school Safety Squad. I was made Lieutenant – the first girl ever toget that position. However, I remember some of the boys on the safety squad were really mad, but their parents told them I got the position because I was a girl. I actually had my picture and an interview in the newspaper because I was the first ever girl lieutenant. At the time, I didn’t understand why everyone made such a big deal. Now, I do. Apparently in 1989, it was still thought of as almost impossible that a girl could have a leadership position. I hate to think that that prejudice is still around over 20 years later, and yet it is.
What do you think of toys like those from Goldiblox?
http://www.goldieblox.com/pages/about
I have to be honest and say that I have tried my hardest to get Madelyne to like princesses. I finally got her to watch Cinderella…and she likes to pretend she’s the fairy Godmother. I even bought her the Little People Princess Castle but I think it might be collecting dust. I buy her a lot of pink outfits because that’s my favorite color. Madelyne tells me to buy more yellow outfits because that’s her favorite color.
Madelyne is a mini-engineer, just like her Grandpa. She loves to build and create, so we compromise. She has a miniature toolbox set, but it’s pink. She has a dump truck, but she does let Cinderella drive it. Depending on the day, she either wants to be an architect, a teacher, a “diggy truck” driver or a tree with acorns when she grows up. (I have no idea where she got the last one.) I say as long as she’s happy, then she can do whatever she wants.
However, she does love her dance class and wearing her pink tutu!
To learn more about Megan, visit her website: www.megancyrulewski.com
Great interview! I can relate to having a daughter who is anything but the classic “feminine”. I lost the clothing battle many years ago. The day I dressed her in tights and she immediately shredded them, I knew that was a lost cause. We both get eye tics when we see the color pink, so we have that in common.
Aya, bless you and Deva for all the work you have done.
I especially liked the last part of this interview. Her daughter is the kind of girl I like to have as a hero in my books – one that can do anything, whether it’s considered ‘appropriate’ for females or not.
You know, Joyce, it is so interesting the people I ‘meet’ on Facebook! Megan hasn’t had an easy go of it. I believe a memoir is coming out soon. How is life treating you? Still writing? Deva and I have been really busy with the aftermath of the Highway 530 Mudslide that wiped out the tiny community of Hazel. (The media really flubbed it when they stuck the misnomer Oso Mudslide on that disaster! Oso is four miles from the slide!!!! and was not impacted except like so many folks all over this state, and Montana, in that some folks they loved were killed!) President Obama’s info man should be shot. Oso certainly wasn’t even close to Ground Zero! Hazel was Ground Zero, and it doesn’t exist anymore! Well, enough of that rant! I am glad to be back to almost normal. This is my last week of 15 hour days entering data so that the small town of Darrington can meet its ‘match obligations’ with the Feds! We certainly can’t afford the match dollars so we need to prove we put in the sweat equity, which we did in spades!
On Mon, Apr 28, 2014 at 1:24 PM, Aya Walksfar, Author wrote:
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