After moving from New York City to the Bay Area — back into my father’s apartment, 10 years after leaving home — I cried many tears and faced some intense demons. Eventually, thanks to friends and family, I got back on my feet. A few years later, I decided to enter the dating scene: in the form of Match.com.

I never really knew how to date — and as a single mom? No clue.

So, I went looking for a first-person narrative written by a mom who’d been there. When I couldn’t find such a book, I got an agent and pitched the idea: Single Mom Seeking: Play Dates, Blind Dates, and Other Dispatches from the Dating World (2007, Seal Press)

And then…10 years into solo motherhood, I met my dream man. I had a hunch that he was a great guy after he designed and built a bed for me. We got married last year in his parents’ backyard in Berkeley, CA.

I recently took an informal poll of friends — both Moms and Dads — about job searching, and I found out the following:

– Moms and dads, in general, do not chat about parenting during an interview. Business is business, and they want to be taken seriously for their assets.

– However, if a company happens to be family-friendly — say, as an editor at Parenting magazine — then parents say that their Mom or Dad status would an attribute.

Not long after becoming a Mom, I added this line to my resume:

“Gave Birth to My Daughter: Learned to focus amidst constant distractions, deal with regular crises, juggle several issues at once, and hone my leadership skills”

How witty! Apparently not.

I thought that being honest about my motherhood status would be an asset. (And I didn’t state the fact that I was a single mom!) Looking back, I don’t think that employers took me seriously. After deleting any references to parenting, companies mysteriously started to call me back.

So, tell me: Do you disclose your “parent” status when job searching?

Notice that I say, “Work with me” — instead of “Hire me.”

What’s No. 1 focal point that steers my work? Your story.

Why? Because YOU matter – and so does your time. Sometimes it can be challenging to get your story down on the page, whether you’re re-launching your business site or writing a new company blog.

I aim to make you shine — as clearly and genuinely as possible.

I was a professional journalist in the fast-paced, deadline-oriented newspaper and magazine world for a decade – before diving into media. Along the way, my love words and grammar has not changed.

Just as significantly as writing, I know how precious your time is. As you’ll see in my testimonials [LINK], I am focused, precise, and efficient.