Real Talk

I was recently watching one of my Friday guilty pleasures, "What Would You Do?" when John Quinones presented a conundrum that was near to my heart: should parents decide what sports their children play? Here was the scenario: a kid would plead with his parent, begging to play football. The parent wouldn't allow it, citing safety reasons. The social scenario, then, was whether strangers would intervene, and, if so, whose side they would support. Although the show presents its scenes somewhat objectively, there is usually a response they're hoping to solicit. The shocker for me, though, was that they seemed to be in support of the pleading child, no matter how scientific or well-founded the parent's logic was. I was frustrated...

If you walk into our house at 2pm, there is silence. And darkness. And non-touchingness.  All of the little people are in their rooms, and Momma gets a break. We don't schedule anything in the afternoons and avoid having anyone over.  I am a work from home / stay at home mom with four girls, all 4 and under. I adore them all and wouldn't change our crazy for anything. I love their hugs and kisses, their sweet voices and curious minds. But they touch me all. day. long. And the questions - so. many. questions. So Momma needs a break and Momma has made a break. At 1:30, everyone gets a snack, drink, bottle ... WHATEVER your age & stage dictates. At 1:45 you go potty / get...

I love sleep. But as high school teachers, my husband and I are up before the sun, which unfortunately means our kids must be, too. We absolutely must have lunches, booksacks, and outfits ready the night before so we can all sleep as late as humanly possible. I have even timed myself during my morning routines in an effort to maximize the amount of sleep I can get in a single night. It takes me approximately 17 minutes to get ready, but that's not even taking into consideration how long it takes to get my three kids up, teeth brushed, hair combed, dressed, and out the door. With all of this, our kids' alarm clock has become our one,...

As inappropriate as it would be for me to ask you how much you weighed at your last doctor’s appointment, it is equally inappropriate for you to ask me intimate details of my pregnancy. Please keep your opinions and questions to yourself. Here are the top questions you should never ask a pregnant lady. What’s the plan for future children? First, this is none of your business. Second, I don’t want to think about future children while I am currently growing one, and finally, you have no idea how long I have tried and prayed for this baby. Was this an accident? It doesn’t matter how old my other children are, what age I am or whether you think I should have another...

My name is Mandy, and I have working mom FOMO. It has been 3 days since my last attempt to force family time ... It was Saturday morning, and we were out of everything. After a long week at work, I was looking forward to spending the day screaming at my kids to stop screaming and making lunches no one would eat, but I needed to run my bi-weekly errand marathon. I shared my dilemma with my husband, and his advice was to just skip it. I don't even want to know the Lord of the Flies world we would live in if moms got to "just skip it." My over the top reaction to this ridiculous idea obviously caused him...