ASK A MOM: Special Edition

It’s been a big month for Charlotte Parent contributor Molly Grantham. The release of her third book, Practice Makes…Progress, is the last installment in her series of memoirs that span 100 months in the life of the longtime news anchor and her three children. The book release coincides with another big milestone: Grantham’s 20th anniversary at WBTV. To mark these achievements—and give this hardworking mom a well-deserved break—we switched up the format of this month’s column. Managing editor Taylor Bowler sat down with Grantham to swap stories on work, writing, and motherhood.

Congrats on the release of Practice Makes…Progress! How are you feeling now that it’s out in the world? Ridiculously happy.

We started working together three-and-a-half years ago, right before you had Hobie. We’d planned to launch the first installment of “Ask A Mom” when you returned from maternity leave, but then you made national headlines when your entire family contracted COVID right after Hobie’s birth. You allowed us to publish your Facebook post that detailed that experience. Looking back, what do you remember most about that time? Oddly, I remember specific details more than the overarching experience. It’s like knowing the trees, but not the forest. I’ll never forget standing over Hobie’s crib and watching his ribcage. The doctor said there was such little data for infants with COVID, the only thing to do was watch every breath he took. If his ribcage went up-and-down, that was good. If I saw it go left-to-right, we should take him to the ER. I stood there throughout the evenings, squinting at 3am in the dark, looking at an 8-pound human’s ribcage breath, after breath, after breath, trying to decipher its direction. I also remember hives all over my body, after having an allergic reaction to the antibiotic I’d been given for pneumonia. And, I remember sitting in the car waiting to get tested at the Michael Jordan Health Clinic on Freedom Drive in west Charlotte. My head was leaned back on the seat and I was alone. Alone, actually, for the first time since giving birth. Despite feeling exhausted, sick, and scared as the car inched ahead in line, I remember appreciating that silence.

I think that story and your thoughtful, honest account made parents everywhere wake up and reexamine our own habits and behaviors throughout the pandemic. It’s one of the many reasons I knew you’d crush it with “Ask A Mom.” What made you want to add this monthly gig to your already packed schedule? Oh, my gosh. Thank you. It wasn’t adding something to the packed schedule that worried me, it was more that I’m not a parenting expert. I mean, who is? Really? After I told you that, you said, “You’re not a parenting expert, but you are a reporter who can find answers and know how to track down information. That’s even more beneficial.” That was what sold me. It became more of a journalistic scavenger hunt in my mind than a know-it-all, and I liked that.

As a mom who works outside the home, I hate these types of questions (because no one ever asks them of working dads), but I’m going to ask anyway: How do you find time to write a novel with three constantly interfering children? Any genius tips or tricks that will change my life?No genius tricks. But I can relay this mindset, that I saw on Instagram once in passing, of all places, and I now use in corporate keynotes: “Be great in small ways.” If you want to write a book, do 100 words a day. If you want to lose weight, walk 10 minutes. Just start. Just do. Just keep going. Like I say in Practice Makes…Progress, it’s about learning as you go and always taking steps. My books started from making myself write monthly on Facebook. After 100 months, I suddenly had 8-and-a-half years documented. Be great in small ways, and you might be surprised what you’ve accomplished a couple years from now.

When I read Practice Makes … Progress, I had such a soft spot for Parker because I’ve played that role my whole life, too. It reminded me of a post I saw recently, “Being an eldest daughter is like an unpaid internship for the rest of your life.” I know you, too, are an eldest daughter. How has that influenced the way you’ve approached life?  I adore this question. Maybe the best one I’ve ever been asked. Oldest daughters are kindred spirits. It makes sense to hear you are one, too.

Being the oldest of four and the only girl is one of the best gifts I’ve ever fallen into. It’s influenced every way I’ve approached life. I’m goal-oriented, and constantly aware of what’s going on around me. I always know where everyone is in a room. Think that comes from always being in charge of all siblings while we were growing up. I didn’t get to goof off like my youngest brother, far and away the most charming of the four of us. Or even feel like I had a ton of room to mess up. My dad’s favorite saying to me was, “Be responsible,” a task I carried like a fragile glass ball. Never did I want him to think I wasn’t making good decisions. I’m not sure my brothers felt as much pressure to impress him, though I know we all wanted to make him proud.

I love being the oldest sister. One of the best parts of the recent book launch was all three of my brothers rearranged their lives to be in Charlotte for support. We care about each other a ton.

As a trained extrovert, I’m constantly amazed by people like you who are seemingly always “on” and make it look so effortless. Does public speaking energize or exhaust you? Do you ever get tapped out, or feel like you need to recharge your batteries? Thank you (I think?). I love public speaking. I love taking the temperature of a crowd and feeling how it feels. I LOVE connecting with people. When I was a reporter out in the field, I’d be sent to talk with strangers constantly. Now anchoring the 5pm, 5:30pm, 6pm, and 11pm shows, I’m trapped in the studio. Going into groups, companies, networks, women’s empowerment sessions, charities, book clubs, etc. is my way of connecting. I talk live to 100,000 people every night through a camera, but there’s often only one or two other people in the studio. In many ways, it’s lonely. Getting out and connecting with people at events and on stage is a joy.

What’s the most surprising thing about you? I hate fruit.

You started at WBTV in 2003, which makes you the longest-running female news anchor in Charlotte. Did 26-year-old Molly ever imagine she’d still be here 20 years later? Nope. Thought I’d be here three years, then go onto some other larger market, then end up on 60 Minutes and save the world with investigative journalism. Clearly fate had different ideas. Thank God. I love this city and community and can’t imagine raising our family anywhere else.

What’s your funniest on-air mishap? First time I was live, ever. Twenty-two years old in Raleigh-Durham. I was a glorified intern who got a lucky opportunity. Reporters had a branded tag they were supposed to say. Went like this: “Live in _____ (the city you were in), I’m _____ (your name), from the ABC-11 Mobile Newsroom, back to you.” I did my whole live shot well, then got to the end and said, “Live in Molly, I’m Raleigh Grantham, from the ABC-11 Mobile Newsroom… oh wait. Wait! I’m not Raleigh. I’m Molly. Live in Raleigh, I’m Molly Grantham, back to you.”

What story/report are you the most proud of? The series of year-plus stories that helped change state law to make CBD oils legal in North Carolina.

As a broadcast journalist in the current political climate, you cover some pretty emotionally-charged stories. Yet you’ve never appeared to insert your opinion into any of your reports, and I have no idea how you lean politically. Does that ever get hard for you? No. It doesn’t get hard. No matter what I say or how I say it—and I pride myself on being quite careful, so this question is a huge compliment—people will hear what they want to hear. Viewers write and tell me they just know, I’m a “Trump Lover.” The next viewer will write how they know, I’m a “raging Democrat.” My actual opinions don’t belong in the news, but I’ve learned people will make assumptions about what I think regardless.

You do your own hair and makeup each night before you go on the air, so I’ve got to know: any tricks or shortcuts you’ve picked up over the years? Dry shampoo.

Your workday starts around 2pm and wraps after midnight. When do you sleep, woman?!  I’ll sleep when I’m older. Honestly, just really used to it now. I’m OK on 4 to 5 hours.

Do you ever set aside all of your devices and let yourself be unreachable for a few days, or are you always, in one way or another, working? When our family goes to the beach, I can let it all go and not care about the phone. It’s glorious.

What’s the best compliment you’ve ever received? Actually, think that question you asked a few moments ago about saying I make public speaking look effortless ranks right up there.

What’s your guiltiest pleasure? Taco Bell. Gobs of it. Hitting the drive-through and ordering so much you don’t even know what you’re going to pull out of the bag.

I’ve never had a biological sister and grew up outnumbered by boys, so I feel like my female friendships are the cement that holds my world together, particularly since becoming a mom. I have a hunch you feel the same way. Tell me about the most important females in your life and what those relationships mean to you. My stepmom (only parent I have left). My best friend who lives in Baltimore (met first day of 7^th grade). My three sister-in-laws. The 14 college girlfriends from UNC-Chapel Hill on a text string together. But the most present females in my life are my remarkably, funny, smart friends in Charlotte. Don’t want to list them, but I’ve got great friends. Wickedly fantastic women. I know them all in different ways, and they all know how to laugh and bring levity to a life that’s filled with intense headlines.

Any rules to live by in the newsroom? 1) Care about the people you’re reporting on and 2) Remember no matter what happens—a great live show or a train wreck—you are at Ground Zero the next day. Live TV is always a fresh start. Come at it every day with a new attitude.

If you could be remembered for one thing, what would it be? That I made people feel good about themselves.

Now, the hard-hitting questions!

Chocolate or cheese? Cheese.

Beer or wine? Wine.

Coffee or tea? Coffee.

Cake or pie? Cake.

Hot dog or taco? Taco.

Good Morning America or The Today Show? Today Show.

Christiane Amanpour or Diane Sawyer? Diane Sawyer.

Taylor Swift or Beyonce?  Taylor.

Comedy or drama? Drama.

More money or more time? More time.

Twitter or TikTok? Ugh. Instagram.

Practice Makes…Progress is available at mollygrantham.com; Park Road Books; Barnes & Noble locations in Huntersville, SouthPark, and Hickory; and on Amazon.