Red Stick Mom

I am a thirty-something year old “Older Millennial” mom. I have a side part and wear skinny jeans. My youth was (thankfully) not documented across social media. I don’t know the latest Tik Tok dance trend. I was still using my original aol.com email address until a few years ago. Unlike my childhood, my children will grow up surrounded by digital technology. My tween daughter was telling a story at the dinner table a few nights ago. At one point, I looked over at my husband and it was clear that neither of us understood the majority of her slang. The world is a vastly different place today than it was during my childhood. As my daughter gets older, she will...

On days like these, I get mad at simple things like a spoon dropping at the dinner table after I sweep. Why am I this way? One single room in my house is messy and I feel as though the entire house is destroyed, ruined. Why am I this way? Another day went by that I did not get to mop the floors and I can feel my body become tenser and angrier. Why am I this way? The laundry basket just got another clean load added to it. I don’t have time to fold them right now and I can’t stop thinking about it- it consumes my mind. Why am I this way? I worry incessantly about a single simple comment made...

Disclosure :: This post is sponsored by Ochsner Baton Rouge.  What Are the Signs of Autism in Toddlers? When you have a toddler, every day is a learning experience – for your little one and for you as the parent. You watch them grow, develop and experience the world around them for the first time. But what happens when you start to notice signs that your child may not be developing the same as other kids the same age? There may be specific signals to watch for that could indicate your child has autism spectrum disorder. Signs of this disorder are grouped into two categories: social communication skills and behavioral differences, also known as repetitive and restricted behavior. Here are some behaviors...

I'm sure you've seen her (you probably know her)--the female who thinks nothing is beyond her own ability. The female who can wipe the sweat and trudge along, the female who can negotiate her way out of or into whatever her heart desires, the female who is unstoppable. These are the women who move mountains. They see an obstacle, and they get ready to jump it like an Olympic hurdler. Flat tire? She changes it on the side of the road in her heels and doesn't even chip a polished fingernail. Diaper blowout? Everything is cleaned and disposed of gracefully without even a sigh of disgust. Corporate negotiations? She brings cookies and makes sure that the deal benefits everyone involved....

On my daughter's birthday, yet another horrific act of violence was committed in our country. There was talk about it on social media and in the news, but I’ll be honest: I wanted a pass on caring. I wanted to take a minute to not care and to just focus on my baby’s birthday, not to mention navigating a personal health crisis. People say “I can’t care about everything” or “I can’t speak up about everything.” And while of course, that’s technically true, I find it’s often a cop-out when something feels too hard or overwhelming or controversial to engage in. Trust me, I get. I have three little kids at home full time, my husband runs a start-up that...