Children

At 12 and 10 years old, my girls are still in the age range where society tells me that I should be presenting a polished version of myself to them. Image: Thinkstock.

3 Reasons I Refuse To Hide My Feelings From My Daughters

The reality is that any person I love, including my daughters, can deeply hurt my feelings. Does this mean that I hold my daughters to the same level of emotional accountability as my husband or my best friend? Nope, but for it damn sure doesn’t mean that I morph into some feeling-less version of myself because I’m a mother, either.

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Joking about a kid who doesn’t nap is one thing, but I am back from the front lines to tell you that when you’re living it, it is no laughing matter. Image: Thinkstock.

7 Things I Learned From Raising A Kid Who Doesn't Nap

“Sleep when the baby sleeps” is the cruelest thing you can say to a new parent. It sounds oh-so-simple, doesn’t it? Just like my sleep advice sounded all those years ago, before I knew the harsh reality of parenting. It’s impossible to sleep when the baby sleeps if the baby is only down for 10 minutes at a time!

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Still figuring out what his triggers are, I’ve started to anticipate some things that will set him off and strive to prevent them. Image: Meredith Mortensen.

My Son Is Gripped With Anxiety — And He's Not Even 2

Kids are puzzles. My son is a 1,000 piece one. This wasn’t the first time my young son, not yet two, had experienced a bizarre, heightened amount of stress when dealing with normal, everyday circumstances.

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Children make me giddy, whether I’m on the subway or in the park. Image: Adrianna Calvo/Pexels.

When None Of Your Feminist Friends Want Kids

Most of my friends are my age or slightly older and yet virtually none of them want children… ever. They argue that women deserve respect and autonomy over their bodies. I passionately agree. A few of these friends are, like me, engaged or married, but even they don’t want kids. One of my engaged friends says she and her fiancé may want to adopt children later in life, after they’ve had the chance to travel extensively.

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I gloried in the horizontal stripes and favored tops with cute little empire ties to emphasize my shape. I sought a “visible belly outline” everywhere I went. Image: Thinkstock.

How Pregnancy Gave Me A Positive Body Image

If I was lucky, I would find an outfit that properly hid my figure such that I looked pretty OK. It was always my body that failed the test, never the clothing. That day, I realized that pregnancy had changed something fundamental for me: I loved how I looked. I loved my bump, I loved what it signified, and I loved how people treated me.

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Sometimes I just need to say “I don’t want to do this.”

Sometimes I Regret Becoming A Mother

We been made to fear that should we complain, lest it might be snatched from us, should we for even a moment wish we hadn't done this. Some sort of universal karma. A punishment for your lack of gratitude.

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I had to find a way to be the mother I wanted to be without paying such a huge price. Image: Jo Abi.

I Realized That Empathizing With Your Children Is Horrible For Your Health

I was paying a price for how I was parenting my children. Even before this study was released — confirming that more empathetic parents can suffer health issues — I knew it to be true because I felt it, I was living it, every day.

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Conversations about adoption happen regularly at our house, but it kind of sucks when our important conversations are triggered by the offhand question from someone who doesn’t know our family. Image: Thinkstock.

8 Ridiculous Adoption Questions This Transracial Family Has Been Asked

My family stands out. My kids are Asian, my husband and I are white. Most people will (correctly) assume our children are adopted.

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