Jocelyn Jane Cox’s memoir, Movement Dazzle: A Memoir of Motherhood, Loss, and Skating (Vine Leaves Press; Sept. 2025), is a tribute to her mom, a love letter to her son, and a testomony to resilience as a caregiver.

The memoir begins as Cox makes preparations for her son’s zebra-themed first birthday celebration. The title, Movement Dazzle, is the time period given to the impact created by a zebra’s stripes to confuse and distract in hectic or harmful conditions. Cox tries to maintain her deal with getting every part good for the occasion. She places on a courageous face to maintain from crying. Her mom is within the hospital, critically sick after a protracted sequence of well being challenges together with dementia.

Like Cox, I additionally had a long-awaited little one later in life, my son turning six months outdated once I turned forty. I’ve spent many joyful moments watching my son attain milestones. A shadow over every of these moments is the fear about how for much longer my growing older dad and mom can be round and wholesome sufficient to see them, too. Cox captures these two points of life with unrestrained honesty — displaying all of the guilt, anger, and challenges of care-giving alongside the deep love and pleasure of motherhood, and the humor in each.

One of many strengths of this memoir is its distinctive construction. Every chapter of Movement Dazzle focuses on the day of her son’s birthday after which explores Cox’s childhood, involvement in determine skating, and her relationship along with her mom. Movement Dazzle can be written in elements as a letter on to her son, who by no means had the prospect to get to know his grandmother. I’m certain it would at all times be exhausting for Cox not to consider the truth that her mom died on her son’s first birthday. Nonetheless, what issues above all of the painful reminiscences is that Cox is the mom she is due to her personal mom. Whatever the issues or challenges Cox and her mom have at all times proven up for one another from a spot of care and devotion. I think about she’s telling her son, love can by no means be good however it’s unconditional and an unwavering dedication particularly from a mom to little one.

“The story I‘m attempting to inform is about being liked and getting harm even regardless of that love. It’s about screwing up, power and weak point, success and failure, and plenty of errors and triumphs in between.

I existed due to somebody, alongside somebody, but it was unimaginable to totally know her, given how she deflected consideration. I current these particulars in accumulation to be able to keep in mind and in addition not deflect.

Connecting these tales so carefully in order that they change into intertwined on the web page highlights the thrill and struggles of elevating a younger little one whereas caring for an growing older dad or mum.”

Usually care-giving, particularly for older folks, means floundering round attempting to do what’s finest. For a interval, Cox moved her mom from Delaware to an connected condominium on her home in New York. The scenario is hectic for each of them. Her mom is confused with out the familiarity of her personal belongings and feels trapped. Finally Cox strikes her again to Delaware however at all times wonders if this determination hastened her decline. Equally, when Cox makes the choice to deal with her son’s birthday as an alternative of calling her mom or being current along with her within the hospital, she is aware of it’s the proper factor to do for her and her son however can’t assist however really feel remorse.

Cox’s mom repeatedly asks her to always remember her, and Movement Dazzle is a promise saved. Not merely chronicling the sicknesses that began to grasp her and the dementia that erased who she was, however the essence of what made her particular. At one level, Cox addresses her son instantly referencing the ”triple squeeze” of one another’s fingers to imply I really like you, what she additionally did along with her mom. This recording of reminiscences and rituals maps the course of generational love in a household.