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Date: 11/30/2017
EAST LONGMEADOW – When it comes time for new parents to return back to work, or for children to go off to school, some children suffer from separation anxiety when they have to part with their parents. Local registered nurse at Baystate Noble Hospital, member of the East Longmeadow Mom’s Club and mother, Sarah Behnk has self-published a children’s board book to explain why mom and dad have to be separated at times.
“Being a parent is the greatest gift but it can be a challenge to balance being a mom, having a career and finding the time to do the day to day errands and chores that are a part of life,” Behnk said. “I wrote 'Mama, Where Are You Going?' as a way for a parent to show and teach a child why you sometimes have to leave.”
Though the book is titled, “Mama, Where Are You Going?” Behnk believes that it can easily speak to all parents.
“My husband, David, and I believe in a strong family unit. We have always had a close relationship with our daughter. We both work part time so that one of us is always home with her. I knew leaving her would be and is difficult,” she shared. “I knew the words I recited to my daughter would provide comfort for other children. I knew parents were going through the same struggle as I was.”
Behnk says while books are used as learning tools, they also can provide comfort. Her idea behind “Mama, Where Are You Going?” is that it would provide her daughter and other children answers and would ease separation anxiety.
“I think this book serves both learning purposes. It helps parents teach and explain to the child why you have to leave and it teaches and shows children that sometimes Mama leaves but in the end there is nothing more important than them,” Behnk said.
The process of creating “Mama, Where Are You Going?” took Behnk two years to complete, which was a longer process than she had expected. Behnk realized that finding an illustrator for her book would be more of a challenge than she realized.
“When I first began this process, I emailed and contacted over a dozen illustrators. Many did not want to work with me. One of the illustrators was open and honest and stated that most illustrators do not want to work with a self-published author. A self-published author does not have an agent or marketing team behind them to promote the book,” Behnk explained.
An additional challenge Behnk faced was that she wanted to be sure her book was durable. She had decided to print her book as a board book, which presented a hoop to jump through since many companies in the United States don’t print board books for self-published authors, as many require a large minimum number of books at a big cost.
Though her job, her family and writing “Mama, Where Are You Going?” has taken up a lot of her time, Behnk enjoys spending time with the mothers in the East Longmeadow Mom’s Club.
The Agawam Congregational Church located at 745 Main St. in Agawam will host Behnk’s first book reading on Dec. 7 during the drop-in playgroup for ages newborn to five, starting at 9:30 a.m. The playgroup is open to all local families. To purchase “Mama, Where Are You Going?” search for the book on amazon.com or purchase it on her website at mamawhereareyougoing.com. Additionally, her Facebook page features more information at http://fb.me/mamawhereareyougoing.