No matter what you wish for as a parent, things will never go as planned. Years before I became a parent or had even a serious partner and feasible co-parent, I decided my future child had to be a girl. I couldn’t envision myself cradling, bathing, and walking alongside anyone but the daughter I pictured […]
Fear is a part of motherhood that Laurel Hermanson will never escape. I didn’t believe I would have a healthy baby until I heard my daughter cry and a nurse laid her on my chest. It had been a difficult journey and I thought the scariest part was over. I had no idea it was […]
When Elizabeth Earley fell in love with a woman who had a child, she didn’t expect to become one big happy family. But that’s exactly what happened. On our first date, Lucy told me that she was attending couples counseling with her husband. They were separated, but when they were together their marriage had been […]
This originally appeared on Everyday Feminism. Republished here with permission. Dear ones, It doesn’t get much harder than this, does it? There was nothing to prepare you for it, and undoubtedly those who tried didn’t do a very good job, or avoided the truth. You didn’t see it coming, and have been rocked to the […]
Sara Miller offers her future children a little worldly advice. To my children I’ve yet to adopt: We haven’t met before, but I wanted to tell you a short story. My own mother used to write my brother and I goodbye letters every time she had to leave on an airplane. She hated flying, and […]
There is something daunting about publicly claiming an achievement, parenthood, that isn’t actually yours yet, says mom-to-be Dana Norris. I’m five months pregnant. My uterus has grown to the point that anyone who looks at me can tell that I am with child. I’ve told everyone that I see in person on a regular basis […]
This originally appeared on The Daily Life. Republished here with permission. “Give us a kiss,” said the man serving me coffee. He wasn’t talking to me, but it was just as—if not more—inappropriate. Rather, he was talking to my daughter Violet. It’s not the first time. In the last two months, two other relative strangers—a […]
Most of the groups that promote “family values” today ignore the needs of real American families, says father of five, Edwin Lyngar. Many organizations with the word “family” in the name are filled with bigots, misogynists, and homophobes (for example: American Family Association, Focus on the Family). The favorite talking point of these groups is […]
Who’s helping you deliver the baby can make all the difference, says Lisa Levey. When Kate Middleton left the hospital with Prince George in her arms, already the inquiries went out about when her body would return to its pre-baby glory. Many were surprised that the baby bump remained post-delivery. There’s much you learn through […]
Among other accusatory and downright rude questions from both strangers and acquaintances, Wendy Fontaine is mostly tired of having to answer where her daughter’s father is. My 6-year-old daughter, Angela, has always been good at making friends at the playground. She meets kids her age at the swings or on the slide, says hello, and […]
Originally appeared on Mamamia. Republished here with permission. There seems to be a lot of chatter at the moment about the increase in one-child families. A lot of it appears to be the many opinions about parents who choose to stop at one. While there are many reasons why a family has one child, there […]
This originally appeared on Journey Of Love. Republished here with permission. By now most have read or at least caught wind of Judith Warner’s New York Times Magazine article The Opt-Out Generation Wants Back In. The article centers on stories of affluent women who left high-powered jobs during the so-called Opt-Out Revolution, to become stay-at-home […]
