Rebel Mama: Breaking Free from Motherhood Norms and Parenting from Within by Laura Rafferty

Laura Rafferty is a self-proclaimed “recovering rule-a- holic”. 

“I feel like I’ve always thrived with structure, plans, and spreadsheets,” said Laura, a Ballston Lake resident who has, for the past 15 years, worked in Human Resources for General Electric. 

When she became pregnant with her first child, Laura prepared for her baby’s arrival how she always had for everything else in her life. 

“I dove into all the literature and put an organized plan together. I was all set,” she said. 

Then reality messed with her plans, and a rebel was born. 

Breaking Free

Laura and her husband, Justin, had their son, Jack, in 2019. From the onset, they were determined to raise him by doing what they considered to be the “right” thing. 

For Laura, that meant following her gut, even it flew in the face of societal norms. 

“I wanted what was in the best interest of my child but there was lots of internal conflict because I was breaking rules,” she said. 

Rebel Mama: Breaking Free from Motherhood Norms and Parenting from Within, released last September, describes with humor and heart, what happens when Laura defies the unwritten rules of raising a child. 

The Worst Advice Ever

Rebel Mama tackles topics including circumcision, co-sleeping, extended nursing, mom guilt, and more. 

While writing Rebel Mama, Laura found the advice from well-renowned professionals was not in sync with her own experiences as a parent. 

One of the most extreme examples came from a respected expert who stated that at four months old a child should be put down to sleep at 7 pm and rest uninterrupted until 7 am the next morning. Should he awaken, letting baby cry it out will teach him to self-soothe.

“I hate the blanket advice that’s out there. It scares already exhausted and struggling mothers,” said Laura. “The way I wrote Rebel Mama, if you’re tired, sleep-deprived, and overwhelmed, you can still get something from it.”

Mothering Like No One’s Watching

The unique experience of having her first child’s first year happen during the pandemic cemented Laura’s approach.

“I would not have had the experience I did if I hadn’t had the opportunity to self-isolate,” she said. 

Exposed almost exclusively to her immediate family during this time, Laura was surrounded by people who were witnessing the benefits of bucking the system, and supportive of her decisions.

This year, the Rafferty’s had their second child, Benjamin, and Laura’s found herself in a different place – mentally and emotionally. 

“If I’d had my children in reverse, there likely never would be such a thing as a rebel mama,” said Laura. 

Now, she’s going full throttle, raising a baby while also tackling toddlerhood and, along the way, collecting stories from other mothers for her upcoming books. 

Find Rebel Mama on Amazon and at Open Door Bookstore.