Kellie Martin's Blog: That Montana Swagger

Kellie is an Emmy-nominated actress who recently appeared on Lifetime’s Army Wives, and is perhaps best known for her work on ER and Life Goes On. She has assumed a new role with her takeover of ROMP, an online modern children’s boutique. Kellie is mom to 5-year-old daughter Maggie and hopes that ROMP will "inspire conscious, thoughtful parenting practice and will, in turn, help moms feel confident and fulfilled.”

My husband grew up in Montana. A pretty wild place if you ask a Southern California girl like me. He could ride a horse before he could walk, skied downhill by age three, camped in all kinds of densely wooded areas with all kinds of big animals nearby, and helped countless calves be born. My family on the other hand never camped, we cruised (my dad loves all-you-can-eat buffets and the open sea) and I wasn’t allowed to ski or horseback ride (I started acting as a child and broken arms don’t get you many jobs). Don’t get me wrong, my family did a lot of cool things, it was just more on the tame side and less on the you-could-see-a-bear side.

So now that we have a child of our own, my husband and I have to negotiate how and when to introduce her to all the things that make being a kid fun. But, I’m learning that it can be difficult to keep up with your child’s rapid development. I couldn’t believe that Maggie was completely over her water wings (a.k.a. floaties) and ready to try swimming on her own (with an adult nearby, of course). It seems like it’s all happening so fast!

On a recent vacation to Montana, we were hit with a barrage of potentially fun yet possibly dangerous activities that Maggie could do. For example, it seemed like the right time to get her up on a horse while her dad led her around in little circles in the yard. My imagination instantly got to work on all the possible dangers, but before I got too far down that road, Maggie was up on the horse, holding on tightly to the saddlehorn and grinning wider than I’ve ever seen her grin before. She was up on that horse for about 30 minutes and when she got down she had such a sense of accomplishment and pride. And interestingly, the next day she learned to swim completely on her own. A coincidence? I don’t think so.

Along with her new little swagger Maggie started saying that she was “a Montana cowgirl now, just like daddy.” Maybe not exactly the rugged image my husband was looking for but I suppose it’s the thought that counts.

More from Kellie Martin:

• Planting Seeds
• The Loneliest Number
• Curly Joe and the Meaning of Life
• The Sky’s Not the Limit

You can find Kellie on Twitter, Facebook and at her awesome online shop, ROMP.