One morning, my 4-year-old daughter was sitting at the kitchen table playing with her toys. “Uh oh,” she said. My husband and I turned our gaze to where she was, then down to the floor where a toy had fallen. “Don’t worry, baby, I’ll get it,” I said as I made my way across the […] Read more…
Hey, Mama, I know why you are tired. Sure, the baby slept several long stretches, only waking to eat once or twice last night. That doesn’t mean that you slept any better than you did the night before when she was up all night. You are a mommy. Your sleep cycle is unrecognizable, and even […] Read more…
Please, let your kids make mistakes. Do not confuse letting your kids make their own decisions with the notion that you are “letting them win” or “failing to be a parent.” I have been publicly judged for allowing my kids to make their own choices. Frankly, I think it’s a ridiculous notion that we should […] Read more…
To the mom using a breast pump in the bathroom stall at work, I’ll just wait out here until you are finished. Don’t want to disrupt. All done? Look, I don’t want to bother you, I just need to tell you that you are amazing. Every day, multiple times a day, I see you try […] Read more…
Oh, you don’t have kids? Let me shut up right now. It’s really easy for the topic of children to come up in any conversation I have with anyone. Typically, my kids inject themselves into the dialogue by taking the phone, jumping on my shoulders or tugging at the pants leg of my conversate-mate. Inevitably, […] Read more…
I’ve written extensively about my children and their pure hatred of sleep. Both kids quit napping before they turned 2, and neither has ever slept through the night for more than a night or two in a row. Basically, my husband and I haven’t slept in almost six years. Something beautiful happened in the last […] Read more…
It may sound odd that I think of my kindergartner as an adult, but I’m told I’m not the only one who pictured his college graduation when we were snapping the obligatory “first day of school” pictures. There are so many grown-up things he does now. He checks books out of a library and has […] Read more…
I spend a decent part of my day dreaming of what it would be like to take a nap. When you have kids, mornings come too early. Either the kids jump on your face to wake you, or you get up a little early to steal some alone time. No matter what you do during […] Read more…
It’s very easy as a parent to get caught up in what other people think about the way you are doing your job. The smallest comment from strangers can reduce us to a crumpled mess of self-doubt. “Maybe I SHOULD wean him off the pacifier.” “Is she right? Should I be worried that he doesn’t […] Read more…
My first year of gardening, I learned that if I wanted red bell peppers, I would have to leave the green peppers on the vine longer. Turns out, green peppers are peppers that haven’t fully matured yet. When they are allowed to ripen, they will (usually) turn yellow and then into sweet, delicious red. Spring […] Read more…