Growing Up

It was always my plan to be a working mom.  Then Etta Mae was born.  And all of my plans changed in a 10 lb 3 oz instant.  Going back to work ceased to be an option for me. I NEEDED to stay home with this baby. And, by the grace of God, I have been given several opportunities to do just that. Here I sit, 26 months later. Unfortunately, "loving every minute" is not quite the language I would use to describe my days. Patience has never been my strong suit, and we all know that a 2 year old will test even the most forbearing among us. Don't get me wrong, I wouldn't trade staying home with my daughter for...

I know what you're thinking... This is going to be another one of those mommy guilt posts.  A mom laying it all out there on how hard it is to not let the guilt set in.  How she rises above the influence of all the super moms out there and lives for herself and her children. BUT, it's not.  While I can tell you how incredibly important it is do just that, this post is about a different type of mommy guilt: the guilt that hovers over those of us with more than one child. I LIVE with a guilty conscience. It's a weight.  A weight on my shoulders and a constant feeling that if I'd done something differently, maybe...

The recent death of beloved actor Robin Williams has really opened a lot of people's eyes to the impact that depression and suicide can have on even the most cheerful among us. Did you know that suicide is the second leading cause of death for ages 10-24? As a mom it's hard for me to wrap my head around, but as a social worker I totally get it. Adolescence and early adulthood are tumultuous times, and kids often feel hopeless, misunderstood, and confused. Add to this a bunch of interpersonal conflict and the fact that teens are not yet capable of understanding the long term consequences of their actions, and you've got a recipe for disaster. So what can you...

Blake’s recent post, Things I Hope My Daughter Learns, got me thinking about what I hope my son learns. Of course, there are tons of things I hope he learns—how to ride a bike, how to play an instrument, how to cook a meal, and so on and so on. But I got to thinking about what I hope he learns deeply. Deep down inside his bones. What I hope he learns from me and my husband and our marriage and our faith. Things that will affect his overall life experience and, hopefully, give him a sense of joy throughout his lifetime. 1. I hope he learns stubbornness. I know I’ll probably regret saying this when he starts telling me...

Several times in my new motherhood, I have found myself telling someone, “This is, like, a thing now.” For pretty much any parenting decision you make these days, there is a corresponding label for it. And a few piles of books written on it, detailing why it is the best thing in the world. Natural childbirth, attachment parenting, unschooling, free range parenting, authoritarian parenting, cry it out, baby-led weaning. When Sam turned six months, I dutifully introduced solids – with my shiny new immersion blender and silicone ice cube trays (BPA free, of course), ready to puree all the things. Yeah, he would not have it. For a month, I fought with Sam, trying to get him to eat these...