It’s a fact of life: some people will always try to encourage you to take the next step on the ladder of traditional societal norms. When you start dating someone seriously, it’s “So where’s the ring?” When you get engaged, it’s “Set the date!” Once you’re married, it’s “Your biological clock is ticking!” And then […]
Parenting
A Mother Of Two, One In Heaven, One On Earth
Today, I am honored to share a beautiful, heartfelt poem written by my friend Marie, a very special kind of mother. In Marie’s words: “I am proud to be the mommy of two beautiful baby girls, Sadie and Emily, one in heaven and one on earth. Our firstborn daughter, Sadie Jane, was stillborn on June […]
Hardship is Good For Kids… But Not My Kid
Before I had Edwin, I would have made a compelling argument for childhoods that challenge. I’m not in favor of near-insurmountable challenges, such as extreme poverty, abuse or abandonment, of course. But hardships such as bullying, injuries, rejection from sports teams, struggles in school? Those are the difficulties that test kids, and since kids are […]
Father’s Day Gifts That Matter
On Mother’s day, I wrote a post called Gifts of Beauty From My Mothers (as part of May’s series on beauty). Now it’s Father’s Day, and while I’m no longer writing about beauty, I am writing about parenting, so it seems fitting to showcase the special fathers in my life in a similar way. Instead […]
A Breastfeeding Timeline
Breastfeeding, Day 1: Wait, why is this so hard? Don’t all mammals do this naturally? Isn’t my baby supposed to have the instinct to nurse? Why did I take all of those “breastfeeding essentials” classes? This is impossible! Day 4: Phew! I’m glad I stuck it out. I think we’re getting the hang of this. […]
Why I Stopped Reading Parenting Advice
When I was pregnant, I read every pregnancy book I could get my hands on (including this, most popular one). The advice in those books was easy to follow: what not to eat, what symptoms to get checked out, how to safely prepare the baby’s room. But when I switched from pregnancy to parenting books, the […]