Perspectives in Parenting

Stay Out of My Uterus When we decided to become foster parents a few years ago we never imagined that the first child placed with us would become available for adoption. We actually really hoped that he wouldn't become available for adoption because that would mean something really terrible happened in his family of origin that prevented them from parenting. We assumed we'd foster several kiddos before having the opportunity to adopt and we were okay with that path to parenthood. But when our little man became available for adoption 2.5 years into his case, we were happy to bring him into our family permanently. What is interesting is that sometimes when people hear our adoption story they make comments about...

Sunday evening, I stood over a sink of dirty dishes and my eyes welled with tears. Manning, Jordan and Marjorie were playing in the living room. Giggles and happy squeals filled our house with noise. Happy noise. In that one moment as I stood over the kitchen mess, everything was good. Everything was normal: a dirty kitchen, loud children, toys scattered and a momma with a massively happy heart. I found myself overwhelmed with gratitude for the ordinary, the messy, the chaos. When you get married, pregnant or even hold your healthy baby for the first time, no one tells you that it can all go away in the blink of an eye. Happily ever after doesn't exist. But to...

It started when I was 36 weeks pregnant. I was at the point in my pregnancy where I just didn't want to move. Unfortunately I had to move because life needed to be lived and bills needed to be paid, but in those moments where I could chill - I wanted to watch the most mindless trash shows on television. Around that  36th week of pregnancy, my husband was also in this super frugal phase. He decided to cut all unnecessary expenses, including cable (gasp!). Considering the cable bill was north of a hundred dollars, I was all for it. He suggested we stream television through the internet for a few bucks a month. That's how Netflix entered my life. My relationship with Netflix started...

We all have fears and worries when it comes to our children. The first several years of my son Baylor’s life was filled with just that… The constant fear of losing him in a store or crowded area. How would I ever find him when he can’t even speak, much less tell someone his name? Or being upset when he has been pumped about Halloween for weeks and weeks but 5 minutes before leaving, your child does a 180 and suddenly doesn’t want to go. After pulling him aside and talking to him, you realize he doesn’t want to go now because he remembers he can’t say “Trick or Treat” like the other children. Imagine looking out your front...

After 2.5 years as a stay-at-home mom, I reentered the corporate workforce. Finding childcare was stressful to say the least, and I wasn't really sure what to look for.  My criteria were something along the lines of affordable, keeps my kid alive, and doesn't have a wait list of 2 years. The transition was very smooth, and Etta Mae was very happy with her new daily routine.  I accepted from the start that there were going to be things that wouldn't thrill me about daycare.  But I was committed to giving the benefit of the doubt as long as she was happy and healthy. Naturally, I got to know the teachers and aides in the 2-year-old hall.  And despite my...