PVLF 2025

Interview with Ozge Bahar Sunar, Author of "Help! My Mother Left Her Mind Behind!"

A heartfelt tale of love, separation, and imagination—this Mother’s Day story shows how children hold onto a parent’s love even when they’re apart.
on May 17, 2025

Frontlist: Your book beautifully captures the emotional connection between a mother and child. On this Mother’s Day, what inspired you to portray that connection through Memo’s imaginative journey?

Ozge: I believe it stems from my love for storytelling and my desire to make the mother-child bond more visible. When children are still too young to grasp abstract concepts fully, they often interpret language in fascinating and creative ways. Many idioms and metaphors we use in everyday speech are taken literally by them, naturally giving rise to countless small but meaningful stories. I’m always excited by how children relate to words and meanings. What we adults call “imagination” might actually be their truth at that moment. And, unfortunately, we often miss that.

Frontlist: In Help! My Mother Left Her Mind Behind! Memo believes his mother left her mind with him. How did this metaphor come to life, and what does it say about how children perceive maternal love and presence?

Ozge: To be honest, the idea of a mother “leaving her mind behind” might not be a metaphor at all. As parents, our minds never seem to function at full capacity—especially when our child is unwell. Part of us is always wondering, “How is my child now? Are they feeling better?” These idioms often arise from such very real emotional states. For young children, a parent or caregiver is an extension of their own existence. As they grow older, that bond becomes more balanced. But in early childhood, separation—especially during illness or vulnerability—can cause anxiety. I believe this is a healthy anxiety, one that helps shape emotional growth. And Memo finds healing by working through that emotion.

Frontlist: As a mother of two and a full-time writer, how much of your motherhood experiences influenced Memo's creation and his emotional world?

Ozge: When I wrote this story, I was working full-time. Whenever my children were sick, I had to leave them at home while my heart stayed with them. It was an emotional burden. The child wants their mother close, and the mother wants nothing more than to stay. So, I can confidently say that Memo represents all children going through that kind of separation, and the mother in the story reflects all the caregivers who carry that emotional weight. I didn't write the story as part of a deliberate plan—it emerged from the emotional intensity I was experiencing then.

Frontlist: The story revolves around a working mother's dilemma—a real and common struggle. Was this book a way to spark empathy for mothers balancing professional responsibilities and parenting?

Ozge: Absolutely—but not just for mothers. It speaks to all caregivers. I chose a mother as the adult figure in the story, but it could have been a father or someone else. Balancing professional and social responsibilities while caring for a child is a delicate act, and it often becomes an invisible struggle. I think it's essential to bring that struggle to light.

Frontlist: Spider plays an unexpected yet powerful role in Memo's mission. What made you choose a spider as the helper, and what symbolism does it carry in a mother-child story?

Ozge: It wasn't a conscious choice at first, but as I reflect on it now, I realize how meaningful it is. A spider has eight legs, like an adult trying to do eight things simultaneously. That multitasking image fits well with the story. We also share our homes with spiders; I've never felt disturbed by their presence. I try not to bother them. In the story, the invisible bond between mother and child is given a visible form through the spider's web.

Frontlist: You often hike in the wild to think about new stories. Has nature ever influenced how you see the bond between mothers and children, perhaps as instinctual, nurturing, or enduring?

Ozge: Nature is the source of our existence—a wise mother who nourishes, heals, teaches, and grounds us. No matter what we do, we cannot separate ourselves from her. In difficult moments of motherhood, I've often felt nature silently offering me comfort and strength. We all walk the same Earth, and we are deeply connected.

Frontlist: What message would you like children and parents to take away from Help? My Mother Left Her Mind Behind!—especially as they celebrate Mother's Day this year?

Ozge: I hope this story reminds children and parents that love is not always visible but always there. Even when a mother cannot be physically present, her heart and mind remain with her child. As in Memo's story, the child sometimes becomes the keeper of the mother's love, strength, and presence. I hope this book becomes a gentle conversation between generations—a soft reminder that there are many ways of "being there" for each other.