As I mentioned a couple of posts ago, I recently assisted a childbirth class as part of my doula certification. On the last night of the class, all of the couples took turns talking about their fears, how excited they were, what they’d learned. One woman said something to the effect of, “It’s crazy that… Read More On becoming a mother
I met a friend for beer the other night. It felt pretty momentous. She was the friend I vaguely referenced in an earlier blog post with whom I’d had a schism. Our schism was about our children, and our different styles of raising them. And after a couple of emotional conversations, several weeks of emails… Read More On judging other parents
I’m all awash in thoughts of birth and pregnancy because I just finished assisting a birth class for the doula/childbirth educator/lactation consultant extraordinaire, Janaki Costello, and every couple of days we hear from a new couple who has just had their babe. I’ve been talking with one of the moms from the class who is,… Read More On pregnancy and birth
Before I became a mother, I was grotesquely good at taking care of other people. I credit my naturally empathetic, sensitive nature, my incredible-caretaker mother and my co-dependent upbringing. In the months before I got pregnant, it dawned on me that my constant tracking of other people’s emotional and physical needs could be an asset… Read More On taking care of myself
We just got back from Sudan. Not exactly a trip I ever expected to make, but my sister went and fell in love with a man from Sudan, and they wanted to have a wedding there. Before we left, we agonized about whether we should take J or not. In the end, we decided to… Read More On our trip to Sudan!
If sleep was our million dollar question when we had an infant, discipline is the biggie now that we have a toddler. Since my initial love affair with time-outs in this post, I’ve decided that I want more options in my toolbox, and I’ve been trying other things I’ve been learning from reading the discipline… Read More On discipline
Who knew how much pressure would be added to CELEBRATE HOLIDAYS now that you have kids?? Halloween just came and went, and with it, quite a few images to add to my collection of how to look like a “good parent.” I spent the pre-Halloween season jockeying with these judgments and assumptions, and came out… Read More On celebrating holidays now that I have a kid
I spend most of my days doing housework. For the last 2 years, I’ve wrestled with what that means about my identity and value in the world. After my recent reality tv bender, I found that doing the dishes isn’t the worst thing on earth after all.
Alright folks. The clock is ticking. J has been napping for an hour already and I have to see if I can get this sucker up in a half hour. Go! So I’ve been relentlessly pursuing picture books featuring female characters with power and agency. Thank you so much to all of you who commented… Read More On girls, women and dads in picture books
I read Puss In Boots to J for the umpteenth time this weekend (he really likes the windmill and the giant ogre). As he was pointing out the essentials to me — bunny rabbip, puss-uh-boots, Marquis, King and, of course, the giant ogre — I realized that every interesting character in the story with any… Read More On female characters in children’s books
