Having a kid before establishing a career was part luck and part madness. By Lauren Apfel
Author: Motherwell
The sparks of ambition, even in the middle of life, can become flames. By Sonya Spillmann
My own aspirations weren’t as important as buying groceries. I had my daughters 80 percent of the time. By Katherine Sargent
Before I had kids, my mother told me: “Your career is the only thing you will ever have that is entirely your own.” By Adrienne So
Not everything modern parents are doing is backfiring: our kids are tolerant, empowered and closer to us than ever. By Mary Janevic
If birth order has anything to do with it, our six-year-old just might have a decent chance at setting a Guinness World Record. By Kate Lemery
I wanted to laugh and not think about my mortality. I wanted to attend functions at my son’s school without a perfectly tied head scarf. By Kai McGee
When the children are gone will I be something flimsier, something less than I was before? By Lauren Apfel
Judgmental comments can be a reflection of our desire to connect, to become a village once more.
By Gail Cornwall
Maybe she will meet the “right” guy or girl. Maybe she will never be interested in sex.
By Melanie Lopez
I actively chose hope in having a child, and when you choose hope you also choose despair.
By Shannon Lell
Already in love with the boy’s father, I wanted to build something special with his son too.
By Hillary Vaillancourt
We connected through the magic of the internet. Her son was in crisis. Could I help?
By Brianne DeRosa
Motherhood has become so consuming to me that I find it hard not to project onto others a desire for the sense of purpose it offers.
By Lauren Apfel
At the onset of adulthood we are, in so many ways, revisiting the days of infancy.
By Francie Arenson Dickman
As someone with a son dead because of heroin, I couldn’t look away.
By Bill Williams
I want him out in the world. But this process—the leaving process—is excruciating.
By Emily Franklin
Motherwell interviews Andrea Jarrell about her debut memoir, which touches on themes of motherhood, desire and vulnerability.
My best efforts at parenting weren’t enough to make him stay. My son no longer wanted to call me “Mom.”
By Kelly A. Dorgan
By stuffing my backpack with toys and dolls, I realized I was trying to control my children’s adventure.
By Andrea Hannah
We trot her out into the world, trying to help her gain confidence through exposure. But it only lasts for so long.
By Linda Pressman
From sitcoms to memes, the mom runs the show while the dad can hardly remember the kids’ birthdays.
By Kathleen Siddell
The stories I make up for my child are more powerful than any book, because she is the heroine.
By Lauren Kosa
I love my baby, but I miss my relationship with my husband terribly.
By Abigail Rasminsky
Our family square is about to become a triangle and I’m not sure my son will be ready for it.
By Randi Olin