Robin Silbergleid’s kids don’t have a daddy or even a biological father. They have a donor. And that’s exactly how she wanted it. On the night I checked into the hospital to deliver my daughter, the nurse asked me who the father was. A sperm donor, I said. Aren’t they all, she kidded, what’s his […]
We are infinitely better parents when we feel supported, says Addie Hahn. In my late 20’s, in the weeks following a painful breakup, while living abroad, my mom came to help me pack up boxes in anticipation of my move home. When I wasn’t crying or wondering if my prospects for love were spent, she […]
This originally appeared on Eat The Damn Cake. Republished here with permission. After I pushed an entire baby out of my poor, shocked vagina, I lay around feeling starving and relieved and stunned and abruptly motherly with Eden on my chest. She was attempting to wrench my nipple off with her tiny, adorable mouth. I […]
Jennifer Benjamin wants to know: Since when did being a mommy become a bad thing? And more importantly, if someone thinks that’s a bad thing, why does she care? “So, what are you doing these days? Are you still working or just, like, being a Mommy?” he asked, lifting his shoulders, almost implying the snuggly […]
Men are rarely reprimanded for having an opinion, says JJ Keith, but “disagreeable” women are often shut down before a conversation even begins. I might be judgmental. Some woman on Twitter said I was and I think she might be right. I literally judge things and then I write about said judgments. It’s closely aligned […]
People aren’t trying to be rude, says Dana Norris, but she dislikes being told that she is enormous. I am visibly pregnant. I only fit into maternity clothes, which are, as a rule, designed to draw maximum attention to a pregnant belly. Maternity shirts and dresses are all gathered to pull the fabric taut across […]
Emily Rapp refuses to let the memory of the beloved child she will never see again be roped into the Right to Life’s worldview. I’ve been writing about my son Ronan, who died of Tay-Sachs disease in February 2013, since the day of his diagnosis. This has included a discussion of parenting strategies that must […]
This originally ran on Eat The Damn Cake. Republished here with permission. Absentmindedly, while watching TV, perpetually breastfeeding, I am playing with a roll of fat on my side. It is a new addition. My skin is looser now, around the middle, more pliable, softer. It feels nice to touch. It looks—well, whatever. I’m not […]
If you meet your child without notions of who you think they should be, you will be rewarded with knowing and loving them for who they are, regardless of sex or gender, says Marni Hochman. I never wanted a son. I always imagined having children, but only girls—two or three of them. Up until my […]
Robin Silbergleid has never regretted her decision to have two children on her own, but after a decade of solo parenting, realizes the value of having another adult around. When I decided, at 28, to become a single mother by choice, I wasn’t worried about what other people would think or whether or not my […]
Megan Beyer says her guilt is not her mother’s guilt, which was wanting more than what she was told to want. Hers is the guilt of having more options and not feeling at peace. So in what generation will the guilt end? It is the beginning of another school year and today’s mother opens an […]
This originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. At some point when I wasn’t looking, I became a shit friend. The type of friend people start whinging about a lot when they’re at dinner and they’ve stopped discussing The Bachelor. The type of shit friend who never returns phone calls. Or emails. Or text […]
