Posts and content related to parents and parenting
The other day my daughter shared some letters she had written to each member of her family, including one to her birth mother, who is dead, and one to me. The letter to me was heartfelt and said how much she loved me. The letter to her birth mother, which she wanted me to read, […]
Not all of us have had ideal parents, and sometimes long after we’re out of their sphere of influence, the damage they’ve done remains. I certainly fall into the category of someone who still is affected by what happened in her childhood, and the damage was enough that I worried that I’d do the same […]
I’ve reached out to the PMag readership once before for advice on tights, and it was good stuff. I am yet again asking for counsel, and this time it’s about the greeting, “Hey, girl.”
Recently, I came across a GoFundMe for a middle-class family of six that was adopting five siblings from an emerging nation. Their friends and members of their church had set up the fund to help them, and the writeup was gushing about how selfless and wonderful the family was to do that. It was an […]
Well friends, it looks like the Polar Vortex is back again this year. My school age kids have had a whopping four hours of school this week, which means they’re basically on their third week of winter break. A little planned time off is fun. A day of unplanned time off is okay. But two […]
When I first discussed heaven with my adopted daughter, it was to help her handle the enormous losses she had suffered, first and foremost being the death of her mother. I didn’t think about the theological implications — I was providing answers that would help her sleep at night. At first she wanted very simple things […]
I had a baby in September, so according to the tenets of Internet wisdom – which, of course, hold that if you have any experience with a topic whatsoever, you should immediately present your anecdotal evidence as expert testimony to a thirsting public – I’m way overdue to start giving parenting advice. And since I […]
It’s World Breastfeeding Week! In celebration of this, I thought I’d share some beautiful necklaces that can be worn to entertain little hands when breastfeeding or babywearing.
This past weekend, our daughter turned six. Because that’s a big thing, we decided to let her have a “proper” party, which meant inviting almost all kids from her class, plus some out-of-school friends. As far as birthday parties go, things went surprisingly well.
Lately, I’ve found myself breastfeeding in public more and more. This is clearly a problem for some, as the looks and mutterances I’ve received have made obvious. To clear things up, I want to talk about some of my thought processes while breastfeeding in public.
I am fortunate to have pictures of my children when they were first taken from their family, before we came together through adoption. They are not easy to look at. My son is little more than a baby. He is tiny for his age, but the expression on his face is not childish. He is […]
The school year is winding down for students across the country. Preschoolers are graduating, high school students are going to prom, and college students are ready to find jobs. As ready as they are to find the next best thing, let me tell you that their parents are ready to move on, too. Although talking […]
I realized today that my daughter doesn’t know her left hand from her right. It doesn’t matter how old she is right now; just know that she is well past the age when most children have learned this. We have tried telling her that she writes with her right hand, but this doesn’t register with […]
This weekend, my daughter and I will deliver nearly one hundred boxes of cookies to our friends and family. Her troop of fourteen third graders have sold 1356 boxes of cookies, and they are just getting started. We’ll be braving the elements and selling cookies at designated locations throughout February and most of March.
Facebook is annoying in many, many ways. Not only do you have to put up with the so-in-love friend, the bragging friend, the friend-of-questionable-political-leanings, and the football enthusiast, there is the onslaught of memes and ecards that makes me contemplate defriending everyone on a weekly basis. Who would have guessed that Buddha could make me […]