Molly Grantham releases surprise book about motherhood—just in time for Mother’s Day
Two-time Emmy award winning WBTV anchor woman by night, mother, expectant mother, community philanthropist, crisis school teacher and author by day — “The Juggle is Real” couldn’t be a more fitting title for Molly Grantham’s second book.
Launched late afternoon on May 3 to no fanfare, no book signings, no big publicity push, Grantham’s secret project was simply announced where it all began — on social media.
“The Juggle is Real” picks up where Grantham’s first book left off, chronicling the everyday struggles of motherhood and life in all its messy glory. Her first book, ”Small Victories: The Off Camera Life of an On-Camera Mom,” was a whimsical idea that started after being flooded with responses to her maternity leave Facebook post declaring what felt to be a monumental accomplishment, “Showered today. Small victory.”
Subsequent posts touting the highs and lows of motherhood would lead to an idea to take all of the posts, add some background and color, and create a book. An idea that her mother — battling metastatic breast cancer at the time — encouraged her to do.
“The Juggle is Real” begins in the hospice house, where Grantham spent her 40th birthday beside her dying mother, editing her first book and grappling with how to navigate death with children. “In that sterile room, I was editing a memoir about how I became a mother while watching mine die. It felt very full circle,” she says in the introduction.
“She was in a coma. I sat there staring at those arched, unmoving cheekbones and told her how beautiful she was. How lucky I was that now at forty, I could look forward to having her ability to age with grace. I never got anything in return from her that day. No squeezing of her hand in response, or eyes fluttering as sometimes patients do in the movies. I just kept talking, wondering about a birthday spent watching your own mom die.”
From heavy, raw and real to lighthearted and fun
The first chapter is heavy. Hard to read. It’s raw and real and it’s impossible to not feel Grantham’s pain and struggle as a daughter and as a mother, to empathize with her inner battle about how to handle her children’s interaction with her mother in those last weeks.
“Death is a difficult thing to navigate with young children. Some people want to give their children a chance to say goodbye at the bitter end. Others, no way. As long as the choice on how to handle it is made with love, it’s probably a good one.”
The book goes on to cover more lighthearted topics like Grantham’s daughter Parker’s adorable letters to her imaginary friend Mutt, the comical and uber-relatable sleep diary (or lack thereof) during her son Hutch’s transition to a ‘big boy bed’ and an unexpected third pregnancy. It spans months 31 through 65 following her first post, picking up right where “Small Victories’” final three words “to be continued” left off.
During coronavirus, these are the words you’ll want to read
If ever there was a relatable time for a book about the struggles of juggling all that is expected of a mother — it’s now, during a global pandemic. Grantham has taken on a new role during this COVID-19 crisis as principal of her self-named homeschool, the Mermaid Academy. So why not add editing and publishing a second book to the list, too?
Unlike the meticulously planned launch of her first book, Grantham told only a handful of people about “The Juggle is Real,” choosing to release the book when it felt right to her, on her own terms.
The timing of the book coinciding with Mother’s Day feels a bit serendipitous. Grantham told CharlotteFive via video chat, “I think my mom would be proud that I did it.
“Everybody likes attention, everybody likes to be honored in some way. She died three years ago, and so she’s not here, and if somehow in the karma of the world her spirit knows that she’s being remembered and that she really isn’t forgotten. You know, you hope you’re never forgotten, especially to your children and your family — and she is not forgotten.”
Grantham pulled this book together in secret, in two and a half months — during a pandemic. Surprising except for the fact that we’re talking about one of only a few women in the country solo anchoring a main station prime time news broadcast, while balancing a growing family and with a reputation for giving back to the community. Which begs the question, will there be a third? Perhaps her book journey will mirror her parenting journey.
Signed copies of “The Juggle is Real” can be purchased on Molly Grantham’s website for $17.95. The book is also available on Amazon, and shoppers can look for copies at local stores as they begin to re-open post-COVID-19.
