EL PASO, Texas (KTSM) – I recently interviewed Mexican actress Karla Souza as emcee for the Hispanic Chamber of Commerce’s Annual Fiesta.
We sat on the stage of a packed ballroom in the Paso Del Norte Hotel; she was insightful, hilarious, and off the cuff. She had me and every other person laughing nearly the entire interview. Souza also had interesting – and relatable – perspectives on being a working mom, which really resonated with me.
I asked her how she determined what movie roles she would take – was it an enticing script, or maybe an all-star cast that drew her to her next big part on-screen?
Without hesitation she said, “family.”
Souza wasn’t interested in movies shot halfway across the world, instead it was her family who always influenced what movie roles she pursued.
She explained if she wanted to film far away she would never see her family, but taking roles in the Los Angeles area allowed her to spend time with her children.
When she was explaining this, I instantly thought about my move back to my hometown of El Paso nearly five years ago with a similar mindset.
I was a reporter with an infant – alone – in San Antonio. He was only three months old when I made the decision to come back to the Sun City.
Born and raised in El Paso, I wanted, and ultimately needed the support of my family.
I was blessed with the primetime anchor role at KTSM, and it is the best thing that could have ever happened to me and my baby. (Well now, five-year-old).
As an anchor, I have more stability as far as my hours. Of course, news is always fluid and changing, so we must be ready to work at a moment’s notice, but for the most part, my hours remain steady which allows for some routine with my little one.
My day is tough, but I make it work.
I usually get off of work at 11pm, but I am up at 6am, packing his lunch for school.
I drop him off in the morning have a little gym time, then make his dinner before I go into work around noon.
My management is also amazing and allows me to pick him up from school. During my dinner break, usually around 7pm, I give him a bath, brush his teeth and read him a book when I can.
We make it work. It can be exhausting, but we appreciate every moment we have together.
Back to Souza – even she says that even she feels mommy guilt sometimes when she’s out at an event or shoot.
She reminds me, let’s not be so hard on ourselves. We are, after all, trying to do it all.
