If I Have a Daughter
If I have a daughter
to share my hands with in tightly woven spaces…
I will tell her all of the do’s
and none of the don’ts.
All of the cans
and none of the can’ts.
There’s No Right Time (to Expand Your Family), Just Your Time
Despite the pressures I’ve seemed to encounter every day since my daughter was three-weeks old, I’m not ready to have another child. I’m not through loving my baby with all I got. She is my first, and factoring in my experiences with women and mothers in my life, I want to feel everything strongly as a new mom, and in the now with my daughter. I don’t want to miss a cut, a tear, a laugh, a milestone because I was preoccupied elsewhere.
Life After Kids
After having my first baby, I struggled with my identity, a lot. We all do, whether we like to admit it or not. I felt like changing diapers in under 10 seconds was all I was good at. It felt like getting him to sleep more than two hours was my biggest accomplishment. I know that most of us don’t like to admit this, even to ourselves, but it isn’t enough. We need more to be fulfilled, and that’s okay.
Dear Parents, Please Stop Labeling My Son
There are so many rowdy little boys like mine in the world. Instead of understanding who they are, people label them the trouble makers or tell their parents they need to be put on ADD meds. So, today I want to challenge all of you out there. Whether you are a parent or not. The next time you see a rowdy little boy, do not label him. Don’t tell him he’s bad because he wants to explore the world with his hands and push limits.
Remembering Who You Were Before Mommy
Motherhood is a beautiful beast that takes control of you. You learn to defend yourself, to defend your boundaries in a way that you never did before. It’s a new power you possess that you realize you need to learn to control. It takes strength in being gentle with others as you adjust, and like any other exercise, strength comes with practice. And with time.