Dear beautiful reader,
I am grateful that you are here and for taking the time to read those stories that matter. Honestly thank you for simply being you! My name is Katlan Thomerson. I’m a self-proclaimed mindset advocate for mothers battling postpartum rage (among other things) on Instagram, a slightly “turnt” stay-at-home boy mom of two, and the owner of a tiny photography business that lives mostly on a private Facebook page.
I am a mixer of many things. You are, too. We’re complex, and that’s okay. You don’t have to feel ashamed for pursuing more than one dream. Recently, I was asked to share my story online, so here it goes.
I was born and raised in a small, rural town in the southern U.S., and so was my husband, Andrew. Though we ran track together in high school, I didn’t really notice him until my senior year. At that time, I was scared, confused, and healing from my first heartbreak, feeling that teenage desire to be wanted.
I’ve spent much of my life being a chameleon because I never felt fully seen. My father-in-law once told my mom, “I don’t worry about Katlan and Andrew. They’ll last forever. They probably fight the most, but they also probably love the most.” Though we are polar opposites in almost every way, and yes, we bicker constantly, we make a great team. We don’t even sleep in the same bed, yet we’re best friends, like Monica and Chandler. That’s what true love looks like.
During college, life was messy. I worked at Zaxby’s, trained to maintain my athletic scholarship for track at Kentucky State University, and spent mornings laughing in the back of a red Trailblazer while Andrew delivered home-cooked omelets. People called our love unhealthy or weird. They questioned us constantly. But through stares, judgment, and differences in upbringing, we stayed rooted in love.
I didn’t always know I wanted children, but once I did, I wanted them immediately. During my fourth year of college, I told Andrew I wanted a baby. Why so early? Partly because I’d spent years recovering from being sexually harassed by my track coach, and partly because I feared dying young. We had our son, Jameson, and moved back to our hometown to finish our degrees with the support of our community.
Complementary college and motherhood were challenging. Andrew worked days and nights, and I stayed home, exclusively breastfeeding Jameson while completing my degree online. I had switched from English Education to Interdisciplinary Studies, less ideal, but it allowed me to graduate while caring for Jameson. I worried constantly about the future, wondering how I’d find a job with this degree. Eventually, I pursued a Master’s in Communications, hoping it could open doors jobwise while keeping my options open as a mom.
But life wasn’t done challenging me. Postpartum anxiety and rage hit me hard. I said things to my husband and son that I’ll always regret. I created anxious home environment, and the Katlan in that period was not the mother or wife I wanted to be. I required help, therapy and medication and slowly began to regain control. My moods steadied, and I could finally feel joy again.
Fast forward through my first pregnancy, postpartum challenges, and newborn chaos, and here I am today. I agreed to have a second child, crossing the balance of being a stay-at-home mom, following an online Master’s, and raising two boys. I’ve rewrite with the woman I was before motherhood while mixing the lessons and forte gained as a mother.
If any part of my story booms with you, know this: I believe in you. I believe you can beat the odds, prove yourself wrong, and achieve your dreams. And when you are done, I will be cheering you.
