Meet Later Mom June Rachelson-Ospa (Interview by Robin Gorman Newman)
AGE: 66
RELATIONSHIP STATUS: Married
RESIDENCE: NYC
SONS NAMES/AGES: Jake Ospa 31; Jonathan Ospa 25
I write musicals, and I am passionate about having my work out in the world. I would like to break through and have my work wind up Off Broadway maybe Broadway sometime. It would be such fun to have that happen. Visit http://www.librarytheater.com/about2.html
What was your road to parenthood like? It was rough. Took my husband and I while to feel financially ready to have children. My first one miscarried. That was hard. Then Jake was born in 1985. I was an advertising copywriter, and I left the profession and began writing musicals for children. I took Jake to my composer’s home, and we wrote in-between Jake’s naps. Then it took 6 years to have a second baby. I was 43 at the time.
(At Goodspeed Author’s Colony)
How does being a mom influence your work? At age 5, Jon was diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. That changed everything. I was working with a new composer, Daniel Neiden, at the time, and we began a journey together writing musicals to teach kindness and raise social consciousness.
How did you balance parenting, a personal life and professional pursuits? Now that my boys are adults, I find it much easier to balance everything. Back then it was difficult. Having 2 children 6 years apart had me running all the time. I wound up teaching drama at the Y after school programs for 8 years and was the Academy Director for Amas Musical Theater Teen Academy for 8 years in NYC.
What do your children think of your work now, and when they were growing up?
They are supportive of my work in many ways. Jon, who is a videographer, shoots shows for me and does promos. Jake created a cartoon for Tourettaville when he was 15.
What do you see as the positives and challenges of having a child at age 35 or over? Positive is being mature enough to handle being a mom. I wasn’t raised by my mother because she was schizophrenic, and I was put in my father’s care. I had a nanny from Germany, and my grandfather lived with us. So, my childhood was difficult. Being a mom later in life helped me to sort myself out first. The challenges were it was hard having a child at 43. I was on bed rest for over 3 months. Couldn’t work, and I had a 6-year-old to take care of while on bed rest.
Do you think it’s different in any way these days for women becoming moms later in life, versus when you did it? I still think it’s hard, but it’s much more acceptable to be a mom later in life. That’s a good thing. One of my friends had her first child at 50 and 2nd at 51.
Has anything about being a mom surprised you? What do you love the most about it, and what is the most challenging? I was surprised at how much love I felt and feel for my children. There is nothing in this world as rewarding as having a heart-full of the memories of raising my boys. What’s challenging is that the world seems so hard these days, and I worry about their well-being and survival skills. I don’t remember it ever being this rough.
When your kids were little, what did you most want to teach them? What have you learned from them thus far? I wanted to teach them how to be kind and compassionate to their friends and loved ones. I learned how unimportant certain things are when it comes to family. I’ve learned more from having children than from anything else on the planet. I used to think a “Hit” song would be the most exciting. Nope. It’s having my guys being healthy and happy and watching them grow.
Any memories from your own childhood that inspire you with your sons? My dad raised me. And my grandfather. So being with the guys is one of my favorite things to do. Going to the zoo for the first time or 
watching movies together. I enjoy spending time with my guys more than anything. We still have family dinners and do things together.
What words of wisdom would you like to share with someone contemplating motherhood over age 35? I would say that love and compassion when raising children creates a most beautiful bond. And being available to one’s children to talk and making time for your kids is the most important thing. Letting them know you are there for them no matter what. Having my children has created the absolute best experiences in my life.
