real, raw motherhood
Regardless of what one believes about its creation, there is no doubt that the universe follows a wondrous order. Stars, orbits, tides, sunrises, sunsets, the way ants and bees work… It is not only awe inspiring, it actually makes sense. Human beings follow milestones of development as well but, as a parent, I can’t say…
Last night, half asleep, I heard our dog pacing in her crate. Unusual behavior for her. I got up and opened her door. She bolted out and circled around me in a frenzy, making it difficult to slip her collar on and clip her leash. Finally, we hurried down the stairs. As soon as we…
I have written extensively about my shortcomings as a parent but today, I am sharing one of my strengths: talking about the birds and the bees. A lot of parents are uncomfortable and avoid the subject. Not me! Our daughter has learned male and female anatomy. She’s known about menstruation for years. We’ve discussed ovulation,…
Our daughter turned ten in January. Ten seemed a good age to start asking her to be more responsible, especially with her chores. Getting her to do them is not too difficult. Most days they do get done. Getting her to do them well and efficiently, that’s another story. She is famous for taking extra…
I have shared quite a bit about everything good that has happened since I started taking anti-depressants. My life has changed because I have changed: in the way I act and relate to the people surrounding me; in the way, I react to circumstances as they arise. I have never been happier. There is one…
I want to do that mommy! We were leaving the library and she had just noticed a flyer advertising a youth triathlon. When I brought my tiny baby girl home from the hospital almost 10 years ago, I couldn’t imagine then that triathlon was going to become a part of our lives. I had not…
My baby will be 10 in just a couple of weeks. 10 years old! A two-digit number! Since 18 is the legal adult age, we are now officially past the half way point of parenting our child. Judging by how fast the past 10 years have gone by, I can tell the next 8 will…
“Why am I not good? Why am I not perfect?”, my daughter lamented the other night. “You ARE good but you’re right, you are not perfect. That’s because nobody’s perfect. Your Daddy is not perfect. I am not perfect…But… You know what I’m perfect at? I’m perfect at making progress. That’s all that’s required. To…
We celebrated her 9th birthday last week. 9 years “old”. Half way to 18. It goes by so fast. Everyone says it because it’s true. But when you’re deep in the trenches of motherhood, and tired day in day out, it’s hard to stand back and get perspective. Then one day you realize the baby…
I was 34 and married twelve years before I became a mother. We had wanted that baby and carefully planned for it. Pregnancy was wonderful. Labor and delivery, something I look back fondly on. We brought home a newborn with a mild case of jaundice and, for the first week, all she did was sleep.…