Q:
What inspired you to publish
the first journal?
Meredith: I was on tour for another book,
and I would often be speaking to a room of
moms. And when I would share that Sofie
and I were doing this, I noticed that every-
one in the audience started writing down a
note — I’m assuming, like, “Go buy a jour-
nal.” I thought, what if we use what Sofie
and I have been doing and create a tem-
plate for other mothers and daughters
to connect?
Q: What has the response been like
from other parents and kids?
Sofie: It’s been really incredible. Even
looking at our Amazon page, there are
so many reviews from mothers who say,
“This changed my relationship with my
daughter.” When my mom and I made the
journal, it was a tool that we loved and we
were excited to share with other people.

But just to see the impact that it’s made has
been so incredible.

Meredith: I remember we had an in-per-
son signing at a Barnes and Noble near our
house, and this little girl came up to us
to get Sofie’s signature because she loved
the journal. She was so excited. The way
she looked up to Sofie — as a mom, it was
incredible to see.

Q: Why was it time for an
updated journal?
Sofie: There are so many things we wanted
to touch on that are relevant now, such
as social media and the political climate.

Kids these days might have a lot of ques-
tions that normally they would be asking
10 Washington FAMILY MAY 2021
later on. So, we wanted to give mothers
the opportunity to talk to their daughters
about them.

Meredith: We have a way of initially
approaching these topics in a fun way, but
it also very much opens up important con-
versations. I feel that it’s a journal where
everyone can feel a sense of belonging.

Q: How has creating and
publishing the journal brought
you two closer over the years?
Sofie: When the journal started, I just
wanted to be able to talk to my mom about
things that might’ve been a little tricky
to talk about in person but easy to write
down. As I got older, we almost didn’t need
to journal anymore — it felt so easy and
natural to have those conversations.

Meredith: When Sofie was in college, we
could see how easy it was for us to commu-
nicate, even by a text or having a phone call.

Because we had that foundation, knowing
how to talk to each other through writing.

I often wonder if we had a different texting
relationship because of our journaling.

Sofie: I was going to school a plane ride
away. And it just felt very natural to keep
up the close relationship we had. I still felt
that strong connection with her.

Q: What advice would you give to
people who want that kind of
close connection with their child?
Meredith: When she would write to me, it
gave me that space to really hear her and
really let her express what she wanted to
say. And I could think about it and respond
more thoughtfully. You listen better when
you’re reading. That’s what I tell parents:
there’s times when you have to just listen.

Q: Anything else you want our
readers to know about the
new journal?
Sofie: It is so cute and so much fun. And
we’re just really excited about what the
journals mean to so many families. T