LTYM-What They Don't Know

Listen To Your Mother in Detroit is in three days. Ahhhhhh! One minute you have so much time and the next it's all happening right now!

I eat, sleep and breathe Listen To Your Mother (LTYM) right now, so it surprises me when someone doesn't know what it is. But there are a few people that don't know...

They don't know that Listen To Your Mother is a live stage show.  Or that it involves brave women and men who get on stage and read essays about motherhood. Some of the women and men are professional writers, some aren't. Professional or not, experienced or not, these readers, these storytellers, share their experiences of motherhood.  They share the good, the hard, the incredibly painful, the hilarious, the sad, the realness of motherhood.  Listen To Your Mother gives motherhood a microphone.

They don't know that there are 39 cities across the country hosting LTYM shows this year. They don't know that it was started by a writer/blogger/mother/amazing,inspiring person, Ann Imig in Madison, Wisconsin five years ago.

People don't know that each city relies on local sponsors to support their show. Or that this is such a cool way for each city to have their own identity, their own flavor.  It's grassroots, it's local, it's personal. They don't know that each city picks a charity in their city where they will donate a portion of the ticket proceeds.

They don't know that many of the producers of the shows have never done anything like this before. And that they are learning about producing a show and learning to stretch outside their comfort zones and embrace their creativity and authenticity like never before. They don't know that all of the producers are putting these shows together while managing families and jobs and very full lives.

They don't know that producing LTYM and being a part of the cast is so much fun. It's a lot of work, but its' fun. 

It really can be exhausting. Lol.

People of all different backgrounds and experiences come together to share stories, to relate, to connect. It's pretty amazing--for the cast, the producers and the audience.

They don't know that the whole experience can change lives, inspire empathy and compassion and encourage authenticity and acceptance.  They don't know that LTYM feels like family.

But I hope they understand a little better now and find a show in a city near them, and go and hear all the stories and connect and laugh and cry and relate. I hope after hearing the stories they have a better understanding of themselves and their mothers and their friends.  

Click here for more information about Listen To Your Mother and to find a show in a city near you.

Click here to order tickets for the show in Detroit on Sunday!

Here's a video from last year's Listen To Your Mother show in Detroit.

Listen To Your Mother Metro Detroit Advice From The 2014 Cast from Jumping With My Fingers Crossed on Vimeo.