Perspectives in Parenting

  Being adopted as an infant, I never knew anything else. My childhood was as good as it gets, and I was loved and cared for from the moment I came home. Everyone I knew was aware that I was adopted, but as I got older, new people would make comments, and acquaintances would ask questions. I've had several hilarious conversations, and also some awkward ones, because people simply don't know what to say or how to approach the conversation if they have questions. Here's a sample of what I hear, and some help in navigating a conversation with a family choosing adoption or foster care. 1. Do your parents have any "real" children?  (or actual, legitimate, normal...) If they're real, does...

Firearms are always a controversial topic, but today I am giving you this mama’s viewpoint on guns. I grew up with the men in my family as avid hunters. Wait…that’s not true. ALL of the family was involved in hunting game. I ventured out on my first squirrel hunt when I was about 8 or 9 years old, and my first deer hunt was not long after. I was not allowed to hold a gun at that age, but I knew a lot about them. My dad drove a truck with gun racks on the back window, there was a “gun safe” in our house and my mom kept a handgun under the seat of her car. We were well...

This Mother's Day, be brave and show yourself. Make it about you. You know…the Mother. Do not hide behind your children, do not step out of the limelight. Instead, gather them close, hold them tightly and smile big and boldly for the camera. This day's images, this day's recorded memories, should not be just of your children. Yes, they are indeed what make you a mother and you wouldn't be a mother without them. But every other day of the year is about them. About feeding them, teaching them, cheering for them, loving them fiercely. As a photographer I get Mother's Day session requests...for children. Nine times out of ten the mom will refuse to be in the session. When I gently nudge...

We all know it, we all hate it, the dreaded "Mommy Brain!" You know that crazy sense of chaos that makes moms feel like they are loosing control of everything in their lives. We have all had days where "Mommy Brain" takes over and whether it's forgetting where you parked the car, dropping your kids off for school late (AGAIN), or forgetting to set the timer on the oven and burning dinner the mommy brain monster can make any bad day worse and make you feel pretty inadequate. In my day job as a Speech Therapist, I work to aid patients who have experienced neurological injuries or illness to strengthen, re-develop and overcompensate for cognitive deficits. I provide my patients with...

April is Autism Awareness Month and, if I am being completely honest, a few years ago I probably felt like it was just another month of the year that we bring attention to some cause or issue that everyone already knows about.  The reality is- lots of people have heard of autism, but very few people actually understand autism. Autism wasn't really on my radar for most of my life. I had heard about autism, but my understanding of it was as limited as having seen the movie Rain Man. Yikes. And then our son was diagnosed with autism and my need to engage with the autism world changed. We adopted our son  in March 2014. He had been in our care...