My mom is a coder too..

Atharva Kumar — Tue, 15 Jul 2025 15:42:40 +0000

Until now, hackathons were always my zone. I’d be the one coming up with ideas, building apps, coding away into the night. But this hackathon was different — not because the tools were new, but because my teammate was my mom, and this time, she was the one leading the charge.

It all started when I told her about the Bolt Hackathon. She’s been writing a weekly newsletter for future of learning although she loves writing, she often said, “The design part is so boring. It’s always the same thing — same fonts, same layout. I wish I could make it look different every week.”

That’s when her idea clicked.

She said, “What if there was a simple tool — something that lets me design my own newsletter the way I want — with cool fonts, layout styles, patterns... like a magazine creator but super easy?”

At first, I thought she was just throwing out ideas like most non-coders do. But she surprised me.

She sat down with me and said, “Okay, let’s actually make this.”

I introduced her to Bolt, expecting her to struggle, or maybe give up after a few minutes. But to my shock, she didn’t just learn — she flew. She asked deep, thoughtful questions about components and layouts, she started imagining how users would switch fonts or drag templates, and she even experimented with logic flows. I was just… watching in awe.

Normally, I’d be the one doing all the work while others just gave ideas. But this time, I was just the coder. She was the creative director.

We worked side by side — turning her frustration into a real solution. The idea grew into what we now call a “Newsletter Magazine Maker” — a tool that lets users visually customize their weekly newsletters with fun formats, cool font combos, and unique patterns. No templates that trap you. Just creativity, reimagined every week.

We got really close to a working model, and while it wasn’t fully done, the progress felt amazing.

But there was one moment I’ll never forget.

We were stuck on something, and I offered to fix it quickly. She stopped me, smiled, and said:
“I think I can code this part myself.”
And then a second later, with that same smile:
“I can code without you now.”

I laughed — not because I didn’t believe her, but because I was so proud.

That moment meant everything to me. This hackathon wasn’t just about building a product. It was about building something together. About me seeing my mom not just as someone who supports me, but as a maker in her own right. It was about bridging generations through creation.

We didn’t just submit a project. We shared a journey.
And I wouldn’t trade that for anything.

Demo - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NSWE_j4K9EQ
Mom shares her experience here - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zeHA84Oo1ag

DEV Community: Atharva Kumar

My mom is a coder too..