The Naked Baby Dance encompasses all of my favorite parts of toddlerhood. It is both silly and sincere. By Martha Quinn
motherhood
We didn’t ask for this new life, this set of unattainable demands and responsibilities. By Karen Paul
In the past twelve months you have become Mama and Mommy and Mum, but you are also still you. By Emily Brisse
In our small town everyone talked about everyone else’s business, but no one talked to us about why our mom was sick.
By Elizabeth Creaswick
One of the rules in group therapy is no secrets. The members become your support system, and everyone can talk about anything they want, without limitations.
After my diagnosis, there was no question in anyone’s mind that my daughter was going to be bottle-fed. By Jenny Leon
Behind every “mommy brain” story, there’s a fuller picture. Modern motherhood makes impossible demands. By Nicole Graev Lipson
My daughter was born four weeks after I was diagnosed with breast cancer. By Jenny Leon
Have you ever watched a five-year-old pour a package of cooked green beans into a bowl? I have. And let me tell you, it nearly did me in. By Debra Arbit
Nothing epitomized the drudgery and boredom of those early parenting years quite like an afternoon at the park. By Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco
I heard the baby crying again, I didn’t get up. I was too hungover. By Victoria Vanstone
Obviously, a pandemic is an awful reason to decide to have another child. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about it. By Amanda Gibson
Each project was meant to show a child’s mom that she is appreciated. Respected. Loved. By Wendy Kennar
We have plenty of coffee in our cupboard. What’s not in bloom has buds, promises, waiting. By Kara Gebhart Uhl
Shelter in place has become a cocoon where our family has slowly let this diagnosis of Down syndrome sink in. By Maggie Shafer
My kids are used to my loud, Jewish-mom complaining—but not this unkindness. Not this anxiety-fueled rage. By Hannah Grieco
No matter how many times I failed, there wasn’t a month that went by that Hope didn’t convince me I was pregnant. By Amy Gallo Ryan
Look up, look around and listen. Here I am. Down the street or a phone call away. By Lisa Michelle
What brings this group of mothers together beyond the common thread of parenthood and our kids’ friendships? By Lauran Bell
Now if something takes too long, it means we’re late for something else. By Fiona Leary Boucher
I’d rather take the time to create something I want than to compromise. In a small, sugared way, I see it as a rebellion. By Shannon Williams
I breathe words like oxygen. They are everywhere. Except in the mouth of my child. By Leah Moore
On Friday nights, I would rush through my daughter’s bedtime books, slurring words and skipping full pages. By Shelley Mann Hite
I’m surprised by how many moms give me the thumbs-up for “letting” my daughter be a pirate. By Mimi Lemay
“Birth mom” does not make me feel like a baby machine without feelings, but it does clarify my role in her life. By Adrian Collins