Creating while Caregiving: Advice from the Kid Lit Community!

Hello, hola and howdy!

We’ve come to the last post of the Creating while Caregiving series! I hope this has been a useful and honest look at the highs and lows of caring for others while saving time and energy for your creative needs. While I am able to speak to my own lived experience as a mother of four with extended family both next door and across the globe, there are many situations I cannot fully comprehend. For my final post I am sharing advice from others in the community experiencing various caregiving situations.

While not an exhaustive representation of caregiving situations, I hope the advice from this cross-section of kid lit creators offers you hope and help!

Creating while caring for Elders

The heaviness of eldercare has a markedly different effect on our energy than the frenetic, yet often joyous, task of childcare. I am thankful to Margarita Engle for composing this poem in which creative practice helps gather courage during sorrowful moments. 

 

METAMORPHOSIS

Day after day, year upon year

I awakened as if nothing had changed.


Minutes for coffee were followed by hours

devoted to my task of scribbling daydreams

that gradually shape-shifted into books

on shelves

in schools

and libraries.


Exactly at 10:00 AM, the illusion of normalcy ended

day after day, year upon year, as I knocked on the door

of the memory care home, and transformed myself

into the person Mamá needed me to be, her primita

when she was a child, both of us jovencitas

en Trinidad de Cuba, hace 90 años…


Suffering from Alzheimers, my mother always called me

by her cousin’s name, instead of the one

she chose when I was a baby

and she still

knew me.


Without those treasured hours of scribbling

before 10:00 AM, day after day, year upon year,

I might have resented

my daily transformation

into a stranger

but as long as I could protect

my early morning daydreams

I felt grateful to become Anita,

la primita

my mother

needed me

to be.

- Margarita Engle

Creating while Caregiving from Afar: 

In our conversation, author Mariana Llanos, originally from Perú, brought up the pressures of caring for family from afar. Distance is a complicating factor, whether family are a town or country away, but Mariana also spoke to financial pressures that many immigrants face. 

Many immigrants/migrants care for family that remain in our home countries. En mi caso, I helped my father for many years. On the one hand, I had a guilt complex when I dedicated myself to “making art” in the United States rather than being hyper focused on making money. But later I learned that the best way to honor my parents was to take advantage of the opportunities in this country to cultivate my creativity and talent, which, after all, are a reflection of who they are.

Creating through Health Issues

 

Picture book author Harshita Jerath offered the following advice for holding on to creativity during health challenges.

During challenging seasons of my life, I’ve held onto creativity like it’s my lifeboat. Would you let go of your lifeboat in a storm? No, right? But sometimes storms are so powerful that you tend to lose grip of the lifeboat. 

These are the few ways I’ve learned to find my way back to creativity:

Being gentle to myself: To me, that means resting, watching funny television series, reading Calvin and Hobbs, chatting with friends, and listening to music. Once I get my bearings back, I lean towards creating, which to me is writing and cooking.

Creativity with no expectation: I simply journal a lot during hard seasons of life. It is my way of letting go. When I don’t have anything to write about, I would still pick up my pen and write, “I don’t know what to write about…” and keep doodling. And that would lead to more writing, or not. The key is ‘no expectation.’ 

Creating as an Invisible Caretaker

  

Artist and educator Brenda Boykeni was kind enough to reach out and bring up the concept of invisible caregiving. 

“Be sure to find a support system specific to your need, be it pet owner or medical caretaker, etc. Pets are forever toddlers with just as many needs and desires as human offspring but a shorter lifespan and higher probability of being replaced at least once. The logistical issues of being a medical caregiver compound with relationship tensions and create more stress. Find the support so you don’t feel alone. Multiple overlapping support systems are best.”

Creating while Teaching

Teachers already demonstrate superpowers and those who find time to ensure their own art has a chance to thrive inspire me beyond measure. I reached out to Nicholas Solis, whose latest book, The Poetry of Poo, is a collection of poems written to teach and entertain his students over the course of 20 years in the classroom. 

My biggest tip for creating (and staying sane) while caregiving is to embrace the chaos. Whether I'm parenting or teaching, my environmental input is usually at a 10. This can have a negative impact, but I try to be more open to the positive. Over the years my brain has been trained to identify the seeds of stories all around me. Sometimes it is a full idea, and other times it is just a title or a way certain words string together. When you have the opportunity to be surrounded by the creativity and energy of the kids, ideas abound. The important thing is to always be open to them.

Another thing I try to do is find balance. There are days when it is too much and the sensory overload is maxxed out. Take some time, turn off the lights, and just sit. Allow yourself time to process your day and your ideas. You have to have balance in your life, but that can be especially difficult as a caregiver. By the end of the day you are tapped out, so carving out that little bit of time can be extremely hard. One of my goals this year is to take more walks without any devices; no podcasts, no music, no input. I want to take the time to reflect and create in a quiet space.

Final thoughts

That's a wrap on this month's exploration of Creating while Caregiving this month! These posts were drafted in transit, edited between back-to-school events and uploaded in between tech help sessions for my kids and my mother. They were also created using many of the methods mentioned such as sprints with my sprinting buddies and many discussions with friends in my creative community. I am deeply appreciative to everyone who has reached out with suggestions for fellow caregivers and comments on what resonates. Please continue to reach out as I would love to incorporate your credited feedback into future iterations of this series. And if there is a caregiver who works the night shift, please check out my upcoming picture book debut illustrated by the incredible Isabel Roxas, THE GOOD NIGHT SHIFT.

bye, adios, chau-chowdy!

Read the previous posts in the Creating while Caregiving series:

Picture books that Help Caregivers Feel Seen!

Leaning on your Creative Community

Making time to Make Art

Próximamente este artículo estará disponible en español en La Cometa.



Romy Natalia Goldberg is a Paraguayan American writer and artist with a love for stories about culture and communication. She has lived throughout the Americas, including in Argentina, where most of her family is from. Her debut picture book, THE GOODNIGHT SHIFT, is an ode to the people, especially caregivers, who help keep our communities running at night. Illustrated by Isabel Roxas, it will be published by Scholastic/Orchard Press in April, 2027 with a forthcoming Spanish translation. To learn more and shout out night shift heroes in your life, visit www.romynatalia.com/the-good-night-shift

The Stress-Free Guide to Social Media, Led by Scott Richmond, CEO of Bookstr

The Stress-Free Guide to Social Media, Led by Scott Richmond, CEO of Bookstr

Social media is part of being an author or illustrator now, but that does not mean it is intuitive or comfortable. Many creators struggle with knowing what to post, how often to show up, whether what they are doing is actually helping their book, and which platforms they should even be on. There is also a lot of pressure to be everywhere at once, even when certain platforms do not feel natural or sustainable. This free webinar is meant to bring clarity to all of that and make social media feel more manageable. In this session, authors/illustrators will learn how to: Clearly communicate who they are and what they write through their social media Create a simple content strategy that removes the “what do I post?” problem Understand what consistency actually means, without the pressure of daily posting Choose the platforms that make sense for them, and why one or two is often enough Use social media to support discoverability, credibility, and long-term visibility Feel more comfortable using video, without fancy equipment or technical know-how Amplify press, podcasts, reviews, and appearances through social media 

This is not about trends or hacks. It is about clarity and sustainability. Bookstr is a digital platform for book lovers and the literary community. In addition to connecting readers and authors through discovery and editorial content, Bookstr works directly with authors and publishers on social media strategy, visibility, and long-term promotion. Scott Richmond is a digital content innovator and creative entrepreneur with over two decades of experience shaping how audiences discover and engage with media. Before founding Bookstr, he built a career at the intersection of music, technology, and storytelling, launching pioneering digital platforms that transformed how creative content is shared and experienced. This event is made possible by a grant from the SCBWI and the Authors Coalition of America.ade possible by a grant from the SCBWI and the Authors Coalition of America.

WHEN: Wednesday, September 23rd, 2026 @7:30PM

WHERE: Virtual

REGISTER Free event for member and non-members!

Creating while Caregiving: Making Time to Make Art

Hola, hello, howdy!

Since this week's Creating While Caregiving post is about time management, I will keep my intro brief. Whether you are caring for a kid, pet, spouse or are in any other number of visible and invisible caregiving situations, chances are, your “free” time is limited. Learning to find, defend and maximize time for creative pursuits is a never-ending and ever-changing process. Having a few different techniques in your back pocket can help you keep creating even when you can't touch a pencil or keyboard.

In preparation for this piece I interviewed three of my time-management role models, Jasminne Mendez, Molly Blaisdell and Elle H. Simone. I have watched each create consistently throughout various challenges life and the industry have presented. Hopefully their advice is as helpful to you as it has been to me. 
 

Author and artist Molly Blaisdell recommends a short task list and lots of rewards!

The One or Two List

Like a timed sprint, this method, recommended by Molly, employs a limited scope to encourage success. Instead of time, a “One or Two” list limits your to-do list to, you guessed it, just one or two tasks. Make sure both are bite-sized tasks. Think, “write 300 words,” not, “finish manuscript.” When you accomplish a task, celebrate by rewarding yourself. Choose a reward that is emotionally satisfying like listening to a favorite song or catching up with a friend. You may find your reward is energizing enough to want to work on another list! 

Rewards are very important! Rewards do double-duty, serving as self care and positive reinforcement (bribery). Or as Molly puts it, “Always reward your lizard brain; it is stupid and likes prizes.” Rewards stack the deck in favor of a consistent and sustainable practice.

 Going Full “Method”

Even with small task lists and rewards, the brain is lazy and inertia is real. Steer (ok, trick) yourself into engaging consistently in some part of the creative process. Bury the impostor syndrome and fully commit to being a creative person. 

 

Jasminne says: 

“I see almost any task as contributing to my writing practice. I can brainstorm ideas and work out plot points while in the school pick up line or while washing dishes. I come up with one-liners and story ideas while in bed dealing with insomnia or a pain flare and even if I can’t write it all down at that moment I will dictate a note on my phone and come back to it later.” 

Admittedly, children' s book inspiration is easier to come by when your caregiving involves children. Nap and story times present chances to work through a TBR and volunteering at book fairs is a great way to build relationships with school librarians. If your caregiving involves adults, do what you can to match their needs to your creative pursuits. Use time with patients to learn about their hobbies or past grudges (promise to turn old exes into villains). Ask your great uncle for painting tips! 

"There are no secrets. You make it a priority and you do it. "  

Boundaries

If you are a caregiver, you may be conditioned to put others' needs before your own. While I focused previously on the importance of building community, it is important to ensure your own needs are met in the process. This can look as simple as setting your phone to Do Not Disturb when writing and limiting social media usage (or delegating management of your account to a friend if necessary). Established artists may find it valuable to create stock answers for common requests like publishing advice. Setting boundaries can be awkward and uncomfortable but it gets easier when you commit to leading a creative life no matter. 

 

 

Everything from birthday cakes to texting my great uncle can be a creative prompt 

 Getting Real about Your Time:

During our first meeting as randomly paired critique partners, Elle, then the ARA for SCBWI North Texas, mentioned having met her monthly writing goal. Meanwhile, I was operating under the soul-crushing assumption that I should be writing all the time. Over the course of the next few years, Elle helped me understand that a structured approach to my time could unlock my creativity rather than suffocate it.

According to Elle, there are two extremes for managing your creative time. On one end, creativity gets very little priority, resulting in more daydreaming about writing “some day” than actual writing sessions. On the other end of the spectrum, creativity is prioritized to the detriment of everyday routines. I am guilty of this, blissfully immersing myself in creative projects only to emerge to a nightmarish mountain of untackled tasks and postponed plans. 

 

Elle recommends: "Take extreme ownership of your time. Offensively plan for life's surprises and overestimate how long things will take 

Being realistic about how much time I truly have for my creative pursuits has involved taking into account that not all “free” time is created equally. Elle has helped me learn to categorize my “free” into a few categories: 

Flex time: 

Her suggestion to “offensively plan for life’s surprises” helps keep creative plans from getting completely derailed by the inevitable illness, schedule mix-ups or emergency.

Self-care: 

Ensure your self-care time is truly restorative. While the reality of caregiving means you will often have to be flexible, your self-care should be non-negotiable. Do not allow your flex time to seep into your self-care time!

Admin time: 

While most artists would prefer to create all day, engaging in commerce at any level, makes you a contract worker and/or small-business owner, both of which mean admin work. While it feels like a pain, remembering to block out routine time for administrative tasks frees up mental energy and time for creativity.

Creative time: 

All this realism can feel a little depressing once you discover how little creative time is available. However, the opposite can be true. I can honestly say that I am now more motivated to make the absolute most of the time I do have. And liberating myself from the damaging idea that I should be writing “all the time” has helped the ideas flow more freely and allowed me to enjoy my family time without being bitter about not writing. 


More about my time management role models:

Jasminne Mendez

Multi-genre author and poet Jasminne Mendez is open online about her struggles with a chronic disease and juggling parenting, writing and teaching. I first encountered her via the #5amwritersclub hashtag, used by writers to indicate they are sprinting at 5am. Bearing bleary-eyed witness to Jasminne’s persistence encouraged me to get my words in, even if it was many hours later. 

Molly Blaisdell / Cece Barlow

A production editor for the International Ocean Discovery Program, author of over 60 books, and neurodivergent mother of four neurodivergent children, Molly has created through every caregiving situation imaginable. When her life gets too chaotic, she will even start dictating manuscripts out loud in her sleep! She truly models incorporating creativity into her daily life, from sharing her experience at local meetings to creating a summer publishing programming for teens. 

Elle H. Simone 

In addition to being the master of time management, Elle has always been my go-to comp title queen and one of the most insightful picture book critiquers around. Watching Elle hit her goals over and over has helped me learn the value of harnessing my creative chaos. I may never find joy in structure but I’m thankful to Elle for helping me learn how to defend my creative time.

UP NEXT!

I hope the advice in this post proves helpful to you! Are there time management techniques that have worked to keep you creating despite caregiving pressures? I’d love to hear about them! 

 

For the final installment of this series I will be discussing lesser represented and invisible caregiving situations and I welcome your comments either here or via my website. 

bye, adios, chau-chowdy!

Read the previous posts in the Creating while Caregiving series:

Picture books that Help Caregivers Feel Seen!

Leaning on your Creative Community


Próximamente este artículo estará disponible en español en La Cometa.

Romy Natalia Goldberg 

 is a Paraguayan American writer and artist with a love for stories about culture and communication. She has lived throughout the Americas, including in Argentina, where most of her family is from. Her debut picture book, THE GOODNIGHT SHIFT, is an ode to the people, especially caregivers, who help keep our communities running at night. Illustrated by Isabel Roxas, it will be published by Scholastic/Orchard Press in April, 2027 with a forthcoming Spanish translation. To learn more and shout out night shift heroes in your life, visit www.romynatalia.com/the-good-night-shift

SCBWI University: The Novel: Crafting a Compelling Middle Grade or Young Adult Manuscript

The Novel: Crafting a Compelling Middle Grade or Young Adult Manuscript

Class is BACK in SESSION! SCBWI will be offering more classes with the SCBWI University Three-Part Series. This series will be focusing on "The Novel," honing in on Middle Grade manuscript writing. You will begin with building memorable characters to building tension to finding the voice of your story! Check out the offerings below!n 

Creating Memorable Characters with Brandy Colbert

September 9, 2026: 1pm-2:30pm PACIFIC / 4pm-5:30pm EASTERN

In this session, we will take a look at characters who linger with us long after finishing a book, the traits and actions that distinguish them from countless others, and ways to create our own characters who spring off the page and into the hearts and minds of readers of all ages.

Building Tension: The Slow Burn with Lamar Giles

September 15, 2026: 1pm-2:30pm PACIFIC / 4pm-5:30pm EASTERN

Edgar Award Finalist Lamar Giles will discuss his approach to writing gripping mysteries that keep readers turning pages well into the night. The session will cover classic story structure, how to use F.A.T. (Feelings, Action, Thought) to subtly propel the narrative, examples from Lamar’s favorite reads, and more. Join us for a mix of lecture, exercises, and interactive Q&A that will leave you eager to share the thrills with your readers!

Say What? Finding Your Story's Voice with Lilliam Rivera

September 22, 2026: 1pm-2:30pm PACIFIC / 4pm-5:30pm EASTERN

Scout Finch. Dorothy. Matilda. We've all fallen in love with these characters and their strong points of view and personalities but how did these novelists cultivate that? A character's voice is such a critical component when writing for children. Through character development sketches and generative questions, this workshop will explore the different ways we can find the story's voice to help bring your narrative to life.

What is SCBWI University?

The world of children’s books is constantly evolving, and staying ahead can be a challenge. SCBWI University is your gateway to mastering the latest industry trends, refining your creative skills, and advancing your career. Whether you're a writer, illustrator, or translator—published or just starting out—SCBWI University provides the expert guidance you need to thrive.

Led by renowned industry professionals, award-winning authors, and celebrated illustrators, our dynamic program empowers you to hone your craft, build meaningful connections, and gain the confidence to bring your stories to life.

Join SCBWI University and take your creative journey to the next level.

How It Works

Each 3-session University course costs $199 for SCBWI Premium Members. University courses will dive deep into an element of the craft of illustrating or writing children’s books. If you can't attend live, video replays of all classes will be available to view until 30 days after the final session. Click on the links below for more information on each course. All courses consist of three consecutive classes taught by high-level children’s book writers, illustrators, editors, agents or art directors.

Creating while Caregiving: Leaning on your Creative Village

    

Hola, hello, howdy!

Much like writing, caregiving can be a very isolating experience… but it does not have to be a lonely one. The whole “it takes a village to raise a child” thing is equally true of any piece of art and of an artist themselves, especially when caregiving is involved. In this week’s post I’ll dive deep into ways you can weave your creative practice into your life through the support of those around you, even the very people you’re caring for. 

In my first Creating while Caregiving post, I highlighted the grandmother in LEAVE ME ALONE, whose drive to finish her knitting leads on an epic quest for some peace and quiet. Like Brosgol’s determined MC, a desire to create can compel you to the most extreme circumstances (especially if you’re on deadline). The urge to isolate is real, but, for most people, it is not sustainable. Sure, you can escape to a DIY writing retreat or conference for a bit, but eventually, you have to exit the wormhole. 

Here are three things that have helped me build and grow my community while also caregiving. Obviously, everyone’s life and needs look different, so I’d love to hear what has worked for you!

Be someone else’s cheerleader:

Cheering on others online is an easy and accessible way to become involved in an existing creative community. 

Celebrating the successes of fellow creators from the comfort of my sofa. 

• Engage on social media: Being intentional about what you comment helps show you're engaging with their work in a meaningful way. This takes more energy but will go much further than likes and reposts. Same goes for replying to newsletters. 

• Be a community helper: Discords, Facebook groups and other online communities offer the networking and community building of in-person events without any of the travel or expense that make in-person meetups logistically complicated for many caregivers. Sharing pertinent industry news, classes, posing interesting questions, and generally adding to a supportive vibe is a great way to build community online. Keep self-promo to a minimum.

Tip: It is tempting to engage with creators who are already established - who hasn’t felt a rush when a well-known illustrator or author likes your post? However, it can be more fruitful to search for a community a few rungs down the ladder. Not because you aren’t worthy but because you’re more likely to find people at a similar point in the creative process as you.

Get buy in from your people:

The creative process is a collaborative one and giving people in your life the chance to be supportive of you is a great way to get their buy-in. Non-toxic family, co-workers and friends can all play a role in your creative journey. Of course, you will get unsolicited advice, so feel free to train the people who matter to provide you with the support you want and need. 

Your significant other:

Calibrate depending on your love language and their strong suits. Acts of service? They can do the Saturday chores so you can have the afternoon to read. Receiving gifts? Keep a running list of classes, books and supplies that will help your craft. You get the idea! 

Cut paper artist Cynthia de la Torre shared photos of a party her family threw. It was themed after book she wrote as a child. Your people will keep you going even when impostor syndrome kicks in 

Your children/dependents/students:

Babies and infants are an infinite source of ideas - just be sure to write them down! As kids grow older, be explicit about your role as an artist or writer and how they can be a part of your team. Ask for their ideas and listen enthusiastically. Be the artist parent or the author auntie that always wants to know what kids are reading, watching, creating. Be sure to promise you will credit children for any ideas you use. 

Parents/elder dependents:

Obviously, the grown ups in your life will provide a different source of inspiration and support. Avid-readers can help you stay current even when you have no time to read. They can also make for great beta-readers. Older adults get a bad rap for yelling at clouds, but they are your source of deep knowledge, crazy stories, and valuable life lessons. Paid services like Storyworth allow you to easily interview loved ones via email, though connecting could be as simple as a weekly scheduled phone call. 

Double duty bonus: If you are burnt out on your own elder dependents, find a friend with interesting parents to swap phone check-in duties with once in a while.

My sprinting buddy, author Rosario Martinez, is one of the pillars of my creative village. 

Get a Sprinting Buddy:

This pairs the concept of working in short focused spurts with simple accountability via text message. I have been sprinting with author Rosario Martinez for the last seven years and as you can see in our text messages above, we keep it simple!

• Find a buddy with a similar work/life schedule and desire to sprinkle quick bursts of creativity into their day. Ask around your friend group, online forums, and your SCBWI regional meetings.  

• Agree upon your sprint signal. I alternate between a running emoji and a Forrest Gump gif.   

• Agree upon a default sprint amount (can be 5-10 mins or 20-30 minutes…see what is doable for you).   

• When a window of free time arises, send your buddy a sprinting request! Allow 1-2 minutes for a response or just set your timer and dive in. 

• SPRINT! Eliminate or hide from all distractions and prepare to focus on one creative task. This should be something you can quickly dive into, like sketching or continuous writing. It can help to choose what you will be focusing on ahead of time. 

• Beep beep beep! When your timer rings you can either check in with your sprinting buddy or, if you’re feeling inspired and have more time, start the timer and sprint again. 

Double duty bonus: Is there someone in your life you need to check in with but don’t have much to talk about? Asking that kooky great-aunt or arty but quiet niece to be your sprint buddy is a low stakes way to maintain or grow a connection while feeding your own creative practice. 

Scheduled sprints might work better for some sprinting buddies. Online programs like Focusmate and a plethora of accountability apps offer the accountability of a sprinting buddy with relative anonymity and less set up “friction.” 

Be persistent! 

Much like finding a good therapist, spouse, or mechanic, it can take time and some false starts to grow your creative community. Critique groups fizzle, writing partners have to take breaks to care for their actual partners, life happens. Don’t get discouraged! Keep reaching out and don’t take cancellations or ghostings too personally - instead keep searching and you will find someone whose creative energy and commitments compliments your own. 

How have you managed to integrate your community into your creative practice? I’d love to hear about it!

bye, adios, chau-chowdy!

Romy Natalia Goldberg is a Paraguayan American writer and artist with a love for stories about culture and communication. She has lived throughout the Americas, including in Argentina, where most of her family is from. Her debut picture book, THE GOOD NIGHT SHIFT, is an ode to the people, especially caregivers, who help keep our communities running at night. Illustrated by Isabel Roxas, it will be published by Scholastic/Orchard Press in April, 2027 with a forthcoming Spanish translation.  

• Shout out the night shift heroes in your life at www.romynatalia.com/the-good-night-shift

• Read the first post in the Creating while Caregiving series: Picture books that Help Caregivers Feel Seen!
• Próximamente, este artículo estará disponible en español en La Cometa.

SCBWI Resource: How to Create Powerful Stories for Young Readers to See Themselves

So...in proper Leo fashion I must announce that it is my birthday...WEEK! Well, really my birthday month— so I'd love all of the book recommendations and treats! And as an individual who is LEGALLY obligated to celebrate their birthday for the full month, I will be enjoying my downtime by catching up on all of the wonderful resources and materials SCBWI has to offer.

The thing I love about the virtual conference is the Replays, and Airmeet, the new platform used for the conference, supplied us with instant replays. I've already rewatched Making an Emotional Impact: Historical Fiction in a Graphic Novel with Maria Van Lieshout and the Closing Keynote with Brian Selznick. 

If you weren't able to attend and want to get a taste for what a virtual conference has in store, read some blog posts by Jaime Temairik, Jolie Stekly and yours truly on The Official SCBWI Conference Blog! 

And remember, you can watch the REPLAYS until September 13th!

Also, in case you've missed it, check out the "How to Create Powerful Stories for Young Readers to See Themselves" webinar, hosted by SCBWI and sponsored by ACA, free on YouTube, where the Nadias (Nadia Salomon, author-illustrator; Nadia Fisher, author-illustrator; Nadia Hsieh, illustrator) share tips on their craft, how to use voice and POV, choosing mentor texts and building stronger narratives! Whether you are crafting picture books or novels, this webinar is beneficial to all!

Creating while Caregiving: Picture books that Help Caregivers Feel Seen

Have these characters, or any others, given you hope during a difficult caregiving moment?

Hello, hola, and howdy!

Welcome to Creating while Caregiving, a series I am excited to be guest blogging about for the month of August. As an artist, writer, mother of four, active community member and raging empath, I care deeply about this topic. Before we jump in to the first post, a little about myself.

I inked my first book deal, a non-fiction travel guide to Paraguay, midway into my first pregnancy. Ever since, my writing journey has been inextricably linked with caregiving. There have been pregnancies on deadline, feedings made tolerable by group texts about comp titles, and countless trips to libraries and bookstores. There have been manuscripts that doubled as bedtime stories and manuscripts that doubled as therapy after the death of a parent. 

All along, the tension between the duty to care for others and the desire to create for myself has been constant.

Sometimes, I have managed the push and pull well, other times, not so much. Achieving that ephemeral balance involves sacrifices on everyone’s part. In the face of increased pressure to produce on demand, it is essential that we recognize the real cost of creativity and not treat ourselves like robots. As we are all becoming increasingly aware, even the robots need massive amounts of energy to create.

I hope to make this series useful to anyone who is trying to create while feeling the crunch of everyday responsibilities. Over the course of August, I invite you to explore the actual “how” of creating while caregiving. Please feel free to share your comments, suggestions and recommendations! 

 

Picture Books for Caregivers to feel Seen:

While many picture books focus on the magic of childhood, I gravitated towards the ones that acknowledged the drudgery of dishes and diapers. These are the books that made me feel seen on the days when there was nowhere to run, nowhere to hide. Most focus on childcare, since they are picture books, but fellow inductees of the sandwich generation will see their eldercare struggles reflected with a little squinting (just take off your readers).

Leave Me Alone! By Vera Brosgol (Caldecott Honor Book) 

What is your version of a silent, matte black wormhole?

An overloaded grandmother goes to increasingly wacky lengths to escape the chaos of her family. The depths of the forest, the tippy top of the mountain and even the dark side of the moon turn out to have distractions of their own and eventually she ends up stepping into a wormhole in order to find peace and quiet. As we go through the next few weeks of Creating while Caregiving together, it is worth considering: what is your wormhole? 

Drawn Together by Minh Lê and Dan Santat

 The inherent intergenerational awkwardness of a grandparent as an afterschool caretaker is compounded by cultural differences manifest in everything from what to eat, watch and what language to speak. I love that this book recognizes how hard it can be for everyone in a caretaking situation to find their own form of self expression and common ground, from the child, to the grandparent, to the mother, whose joy and relief at the end of the book is palpable. 

 

Anyone who has left a play date or a senior center and thought “yes, this is going to work!” can relate to the mother´s joy.

No More Señora Mimi by Meg Medina and Brittany Cicchese

In-home childcare is a delicate balance for all involved; is there any business relationship that requires more trust? Ideally, the bond between child and nanny is a strong and loving one, the only downside of which is the heartbreak that occurs when childcare needs change. This book showcases a loving transition between caretakers. from a beloved neighbor to an equally beloved grandmother. 

 

It is rare to see any piece of pop culture acknowledge the existence of paid caregivers at all (think of all the nannies cropped out of celebrity family photos). In addition to showing one of society’s hidden caregivers with respect, I also appreciate how this book reaffirms that a mutual dependence within our “village” is a good thing and an important part of the fabric of a society. 

 

The Worst Teddy Ever by Marcelo Verdad

 

Noa wishes his beloved stuffed teddy bear had energy to play like his friends’ stuffies! Readers soon discover the reason Teddy is always tired: unbeknownst to his human friend, this stuffy works the night shift, shooing away would-be visitors, in order to ensure Noa gets a good night’s sleep. 

 

One day you're young and the next, you're tired like Teddy. 

We have all been Teddy at some point. 

The Wild Washer Women by John Yeoman and Quentin Blake

A group of overworked and underpaid washerwomen hit their breaking point and rage against the machine/their boss. My own aunts and mother hand-washed clothing in the creek well into their teenage years, so this book also served as an exercise in perspective during hard moments. At the very least, my pile of laundry can be washed by a machine! 

 

Towards the end of their rampage, the washer women meet up with a group of woodsmen and the somewhat predictable ending is offset by gendered role reversals that model equitable sharing of labor. 

Are there books that make you feel seen as a caregiver? I’d love to hear about them in the comments!Until next week,  

bye, adios, chau-chowdy!

Próximamente este artículo estará disponible en español en La Cometa. 

Romy Natalia Goldberg is a Paraguayan-American author with a love for stories about culture and communication. Her debut picture book, THE GOODNIGHT SHIFT, is an ode to the people, especially caregivers, who help keep our communities running at night. Illustrated by Isabel Roxas, it will be published by Scholastic/Orchard Press in April, 2027 with a forthcoming Spanish translation. To learn more and shout out night shift heroes in your life, visit www.romynatalia.com/the-good-night-shift