Bedtime is usually a fun time for Suzette Smith and her six-year-old son, Kayden. That’s the time when the stories about her childhood pets would come to life. A year ago, Smith published one of those stories, The Adventures of Skeezy and Num Num—the first in what she expects to be a series.
“Writing a book wasn’t something I set out to do at first,” Smith told Guardian Media.
“But becoming a mom really changed how I saw things.”
The book is about a monkey and a bird in a forest. They both see a mango, but the monkey takes the mango and runs away with it, leaving the bird sad. She said the book highlights the importance of sharing and also touches on emotions, being aware and being sensitive to emotions.
“And in the end of it all, the monkey apologised and decided to share the mango with the bird.”
Smith said her son challenged her to write the book, as he so enjoyed the stories she told him. And because he is an only child, she wanted to teach him the value of sharing.
“So it is really to help him learn to how to share with others. And just to be, you know, more concerned about other persons’ welfare and how to have social skills.”
She said the other books will centre around the same idea, and she also plans to include activity books that will help children work on their social skills. It targets children ages three to six.
Smith, an IT professional, illustrated the book with a bit of help from artificial intelligence.
“But in terms of the content and the storyline, that came from me.”
There were moments of doubt, she admitted. But during the process, she learned that she didn’t need to have all the answers to start. It took her almost six months to complete the book because of the distractions that come with motherhood.
“They (children) tend to take a lot of your attention and time; preparing for school, arranging for them and the extracurricular activities. So the start and stop is what took that long period of time.”
Smith is the reigning Miss Magnificent Mom, a pageant she said is all about empowering mothers even beyond childcare.
“It’s about letting mothers know that self-care, mental health and beauty still continue after motherhood.”
She said screening began in January, 2025, around the same time she published her book. The talent show took place in April of that year, and the pageant night was in July.
“On the actual final night, we also had to do a celebrity impersonation. So for the show, I would have done my talent piece of monologue, and for the actual final night, my celebrity impersonation was Nadia Batson, Queen of Sass.”
Smith was one of 14 contestants, and she represented Carapo.
She said there were a lot of activities leading up to the final night, including a cake sale. The proceeds were donated to a mom in need.
“We would have shared that donation to a particular mom who desperately needed assistance.”
The period leading up to the pageant was trying for Smith, too, as her mother had been very ill.
“She passed away 12 days before the final night, so it was not really easy leading up.”
Since winning the title, Smith has served as a judge in other pageants and has visited schools to talk to young people. She also visited senior citizens at several homes. She is proud of all she has accomplished in the space of a year, despite the challenges. Smith is now encouraging women to go after their dreams.
“If there is anything I hope women take away from my story, it’s that motherhood doesn’t mean putting your dreams on pause. If anything, it can push you to do things you never thought you would. Skeezy and Num Num is just the beginning for me, and I’m excited to see where the journey goes.”
