Actress Mayim Bialik; A Mom Like Me

Remember the early 1990s TV show Blossom? It was one of my favorites! Mayim Bialik played the title character, Blossom. She also played the young Bette Midler in the movie Beaches....but in my mind she'll always be Blossom! Mayim has quite a few new ventures coming up, including guest starring on tonight's Saving Grace. I (along with a few other bloggers) was given the chance to speak with her about how she juggles being a mom and a Hollywood actress.

Mayim is a highly educated woman in her own right; she attended UCLA and earned an undergraduate degree in neuroscience, Hebrew and Jewish Studies. She went on and completed her Doctoral studies in Neuroscience. As another woman who chased big fancy degrees before being a stay-at-home mom, I wondered if she receives the same reactions I do. (People saying I'm wasting my degree, or wondering why I bothered going to school in the first place). Mayim said she does indeed hear those comments. She makes the joke that she went after the Doctorate Degree just to be called "Doctor Mom"! She went on to say,

"Every thing that we do when we interact in whatever world before we have kids is adding to what kind of people we are and what kind of parents we are. So even if it's that...working in the professional academic world and getting my degree showed me how important it is for me to be with my kids, then it was worth that experience for me. When it comes down to it, if we choose to be home with our kids, that really is...job number one. It doesn't matter, you know, how many degrees we have or how rich and famous we are. What matters to your kid is what kind of parent you are."

AMEN sister! My friend Jen wrote a fabulous blog post about this subject on her blog, Land of Lovings. As a mom it seems you just can't win. If you're educated and choose to stay home with your children, you get flak for wasting your degree. If you return to the workforce after having children, you get flak for not staying home. We each do what is best for our families, and naturally that's going to look different for everyone. There is no wrong or right!

If you'd like to catch up with Mayim, she can be seen this Fall on ABC Family's hit show The Secret Life of an American Teenager. She'll have a recurring role as a high school guidance counselor. But you don't have to wait that long! She's guest starring in tonight's episode of Saving Grace on TNT. Here's a synopsis:

During a case that puts Grace’s spirituality to the test, the squad investigates the murder of a Hasidic Jew whose body is found near a herd of dead cows. Meanwhile, Grace tries to connect with Neely, and Ham’s sister-in-law, Amanda, struggles to get over the death of her husband.

Character Description: Esther (Mayim Bialik) - A Hasidic Jewish woman and the daughter of the murder victim in the episode. She strayed from the Jewish community in her early 20's, but then returned to her religious roots after several years. She is married with 7 children (but you don't see them in the episode).

Tune in to TNT tonight at 10PM for Saving Grace.