Meet a Parent: Heather Moylan Buono

Kidoinfo: What neighborhood do you live in?
HMB: East Side, Providence

Kidoinfo: Where were you born?
HMB: Boston

Kidoinfo: How long have you been in Rhode Island?
HMB: 3 ½ years

Kidoinfo: What is your current state of mind?
HMB: I’ve let myself off the hook a bit recently, and it feels good. I’ve finally accepted that I’m not going to be able to do as much, the same, as before my son, Sam, arrived. There are less late nights out and more take-out dinners, but I’ve stopped feeling like I’m screwing things up and I’ve better embraced this new life, and this new person.

Kidoinfo: Who’s in your family?
HMB: My wonderful, funny, barbecuing genius husband, Eugene. My wonderful, beautiful, light-switch-obsessed son, Sam, 1.

Kidoinfo: What trait do you most admire about your family? How we can drop everything — wooden blocks, a Tupperware full of leftover chili — and sit down amidst the mess to play with the fridge magnets or for a hug. As a recovering stressed-out, neat freak, I’m thankful that I can tune out the chaos for a truly important moment.

Kidoinfo: What is your favorite thing to do?
HMB: Eugene, me, and Sam, a not-freezing day, and a swing set. That’s pretty great.

Kidoinfo: Where is your favorite place to hang out?
HMB: The Providence Children’s Museum. We were going to wait until Sam could walk but he’s thrilled to crawl around in awe. And we’re all rewarded with his long nap after the trip.

Kidoinfo: Where would you most like to live? Sydney, Australia. We were there for a week a few years ago and everyone seemed absurdly content and sun-kissed.

Kidoinfo: What do you like to do when you are not with your kid(s)?
HMB: Go to a movie or on a long walk with a friend who won’t mind if I’ve got a lot to complain about.

Kidoinfo: What is the most overrated thing about parenthood?
HMB: Cute baby outfits with a lot of snaps.

Kidoinfo: What is your most treasured possession?
HMB: A photo of my late father holding my sister and me in the back of our beat-up station wagon after a day of apple picking. It’s probably from around 1978.

Kidoinfo: What superpower would you most like to have?
HMB: I would like to be Dr. Sleep, bestowing a long nap or night’s rest with a wave of my wand, for anyone in my family.

Kidoinfo: Who is your favorite fictional mother or father?
HMB: I like Elyse Keaton from “Family Ties.” She was funny and flawed. Also, they were always in the kitchen but I can’t remember her cooking anything. I appreciate that.

Kidoinfo: What are you going to do now that you have answered these questions?
HMB: Watch last week’s Project Runway on TiVo.

Kidoinfo Interviewer: Nancy King

In the interest of community building, we will periodically profile a parent from our Kidoinfo community. If you want to share your ideas or request a questionnaire so that you can be considered for a future “Meet a Parent” column, please contact us!