The Motherhood Minute with Kylee Dickson

As a 30 year old, full time working mom to a blended family with 5 children, Kylee Dickson is a woman full of moxie. Her experience as a mom hasn’t been traditional, but she has loved the journey. It has provided her new ways to grow personally as well as learn to connect with her children in more meaningful ways. 

Kylee is a mom to biological, step, and adopted children. She has 3 children from her first marriage and 2 step children from her current marriage. She not only feels like she is an adoptive mother because of taking care of her step kids, but because the oldest step child was adopted by her husband from his previous marriage. In fact, the Dickson family basically has a set of twins and triplets. The oldest three and youngest two are were born only months apart during the previous marriages.

Kylee states that blending her family “was exhausting and an emotional investment. The kids are going between multiple households with various parenting styles and come from different backgrounds.” Because of this, when she and her husband started blending their families in March of 2022, they did several things to help with this transition. First, Kylee took off work for a while. She knew that if she invested time up front, the relationships between all of the kids, and her, would be stronger. Second, she and her husband really tried to focus on helping the kids understand one another. Kylee has loved to see that the kids are all now best friends and can’t stop playing together. Third, she and her husband go to couples therapy. Kylee and her husband were/are in a really good place, but do this as a preventative measure for the difficulties that come from learning how to parent each others children.

The best part of being a mother for Kylee is seeing her children become confident in themselves as they pursue their talents. She loves seeing them come in to themselves and having one on one time with each child. As they get older, Kylee also enjoys watching her children help her by helping each other. She remembers one time when her oldest, Lennix, was three and a half years old helped her 14 month old, Swazee, into a high chair and fed her the entire jar of baby food while Kylee was out of the room for 10 minutes. The oldest piped up as Kylee walked back in and beamingly said “I just scriped it.” Scriped was her way of saying ripped or opened the jar. It is now a family joke and they will use it when they open different containers. Kylee thinks back on this moment because it was so sweet to see Lennix take initiative when she saw Swazee in need. 

Like many mothers, Kylee often finds herself having mom guilt despite all the good that happens within her home. Trying to balancer working as a full time email marketing specialist, a mom, and her mental health, she will find herself going to bed and questioning how she said or did something or how she didn’t meet a need. She states that it is important as a mom to give yourself forgiveness and recognize that you are consistently learning how to be a better mom. It is also important to priortize mental health so that as a mother, your kids can have the best you possible.

To prioritize her mental health, Kylee goes to therapy. She has gone regulary for the last 2 years as she navigates how to better understand and find more empathy for herself and others. She also sets her boundries and states she will always puts her husband first. By creating the healthiest relationship with him, they can better rely and support each other. Kylee adds that “this is especially important with how emotionally taxing being a step parent can be.” On top of that she makes sure to keep up on her hobbies. She is an avid athlete who goes to the gym every day of the week and plays in volleyball leagues. She is an also a digital and graphic artist. A combination of these efforts are what help keep her grounded.

Overall, “the key to a happy family is understanding each other and communicating” Kylee states. Her family makes sure to prioritize communication by always eating dinner together. Every family member has a moment to talk about the highs and lows of their days. She says that “sometimes kids don’t communicate what has been difficult for them. By normalizing these types of conversations at a young age, it provides a safe space for them to open up.” Its a good way to create conversation. Her son will often say that his favorite part is that dinner part - or being picked up from school. Kylee loves seeing the kids treasure those small moments. Being a mother doesn’t have a manual, but it is a rewarding journey.