Debra Jones-O’Brien takes parenting, peanut allergies, and liberal politics very seriously. Her self-righteous tweets and snotty catchphrase, “um yeah, hi,” have attracted 17,000 followers.
After Jones-O’Brien told the LA Times that she wasn’t a mother or even a woman, some worried that @PeanutFreeMom would keep a lower profile. Luckily, our favorite account parodying mommy bloggers and life coaches is still going strong.
The man behind Jones-O’Brien prefers to remain anonymous, identifying only as a resident from Boston suburbs who works with children and their mothers. But Jones-O’Brien is only too happy to go public. We caught up with her in an email interview that covered everything from current events to the holidays—and of course, parenting.
Daily Dot: How old are you and where are you from? What do you do for a living?
Jones-O’Brien: I’m 39 years old and I’m from Natick Massachusetts. Natick is a town that is close enough to Boston to be called ‘The Boston Area’, but it’s far enough away to still have that quaint “small town” feel. It’s unlike most suburbs of Boston, what with their lazy accents and “Tap Out” shirts. SMH.
As a part time life coach and full time mom, I keep busy to say the least. When I first started life coaching, my clients consisted of friends and family, but now that my practice is more renowned I’ve taken on my friends’ and family’s friends and family. Um yeah, hi, what recession are YOU people complaining about?
Even though being a single mother to an amazing child with allergies doesn’t yield any monetary income (besides the monthly child support) the rewards are invaluable. The occasional ‘tantrum’ aside, Caleb is a very intelligent and sensitive young gentleman. Each day we have together is a treasure. As a mother, however, I do get concerned that his allergies may be becoming more aggressive as he approaches puberty. It seems like he’s constantly running out of Kleenex and eczema lotion, not to mention the early onset of what appears to be Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. He’s such a loving child.
DD: You’re quite the Twitter celebrity these days. What made you decide to join the platform?
J-B: Twitter was the best way for me to spread my thoughts and advice to my followers. I could have started my own blog or website, but as a mother I simply wouldn’t have the time to devote to it. With Twitter I only need to pick up my phone whenever I’m inspired. (She likes to use twicca, an Androd App that allows her to tweet by phone.)
DD: You mentioned you invented the “tweet-up” on Thanksgiving. Congratulations!… but didn’t somebody invent that a few years ago?
J-B: Um, yeah, pretty sure it was ME who invented ‘tweet-up’. You must be thinking of the term ‘meet-up’.
DD: Can you tell us a little about your family? What about your childhood? Was it anything like Caleb’s?
J-B: I had a loving mother AND father, which is a little better than Caleb has. He just has a loving mother. The divorce is still a touchy subject around the house.
DD: This is a bit touchy, but people want to know: What happened to Caleb’s father?
J-B: I SAID we’re divorced. You’d know if you actually did some research on me. Ever hear of that at the ‘Daily Dot’? Research? It would be a small step towards journalistic integrity. Your reader and her half dozen cats would benefit from it.
Plus, Oprah had a Twitter.
DD: We love how honest your Twitter opinions are. We want to know: what do you really think of Occupy Wall Street? What about the 2012 election? The current Republican presidential candidates?
J-B: Is Occupy Wall Street still a thing? I don’t know how people thought they could create change by erecting pop-tents and lazily participating in drum circles. If you don’t like corporations, boycott them. That’s what Caleb and I did with Disney. The only time we broke that boycott was to see “Princess and the Frog.” It was about time there was a black princess.
As far as Republican candidates go, I feel that Mitt Romney will be the favorite to lose to President Obama by a landslide in November. Newt Gingrich may make more sense to people like Donald Trump, but he’s a border-line sex offender if you look at his Wikipedia page. Also, Romney is the handsomest Republican after Scott Brown, he’s just in a religious cult that seems a bit ‘if-y’. Sorry to go on a political rant. LOL!
DD: How are you planning to spend the holidays?
J-B: ‘The Wizarding World of Harry Potter’ at Universal Studios Orlando. It’s one of Caleb’s Christmas presents. We can’t wait to take in all the magic. ;) (we don’t care for rides)
DD: Could you tell us about your goals for the future?
J-B: I’m writing an advice book. My New Year’s resolution is to stop giving this stuff away for free.
DD: Being a mom is tough year round, but the holidays can throw you a curve. Can you give us some of your best holiday parenting tips?
J-B: Holiday Tip: Trial-Size packs of dried veggie chips make great ‘stocking stuffers’.
Christmas Tip: Hire a Jewish babysitter to watch your child so you can go out with the girls tonight!
Kwanzaa Tip: Remember, not all black people celebrate Kwanzaa.