I am the mother who was drunk the morning of the first birthday party you were invited to. By Janelle Hanchett
motherhood
Unlike the majority of her peers, my mom does not consider being a grandma the single most important and satisfying aspect of her life. By Lauren Apfel
Some lessons about social justice, no matter how terrible, are better learned by living than by lecture. By Francie Arenson Dickman
When we use #blessed, we are saying that we have been chosen for joy. The problem is what this word suggests in the context of suffering. By Liz Becker
I decided to stop asking Austin about his plan. I decided to stop suggesting pathways and careers to him, as if I were a marketing director of adulthood. By Ann marie Houghtailing
Perhaps by allowing my daughter to experiment with her appearance and create her own reality, I can put the power back in her hands. By Erin Ott
In a quiet, distant voice I tell my husband that I want to die. Not exactly dead, I clarify, but not this. By Laura G. Owens
We are forever snarled in each other’s hair, my daughter and I, invested in the consistency of the people we know best and need most. By Leslie Kendall Dye
Here I am at the sink again. Here I am signing the kids up for soccer again. Here I am preparing for the holidays again. Wash, rinse, repeat. By Ilyse Dobrow DiMarco
Perhaps the fish were feeble replacements for all that we had lost, but they were also hopeful things. By Samantha Shanley
I’ve never used expressions like potty, criss-cross applesauce, boo-boo and its sad cousin owie. They make me feel like an imposter. By Rosemary Harp
It’ll only occur to me months later, in the flurry of taking you to college, that this was the quiet part before the big crescendo. By Jennifer Niesslein
My plate is full, blessedly so. So why can’t I stop thinking about having another baby? By Daisy Alpert Florin
Looking for the perfect parenting gift, book club recommendation or holiday read? Look no further. By Lauren Apfel
He can’t reconcile where we’d find the time, money and energy. I feel like we’d figure it out, the way we did with the first. By Abigail Rasminsky
We can honor the importance of caregiving without taking away from the difficulties of balancing caregiving with a career outside the home. By Laura Longhine
I don’t think it ever occurred to me how much and how often women are praised for displaying traits that basically render them invisible. By Shonda Rhimes
I don’t want advancement. I just want to do a good job each day and go home without guilt. By Brianne DeRosa
Having a kid before establishing a career was part luck and part madness. By Lauren Apfel
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
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