Parents: An anthropological study

May 17, 2013 by christaallard

I spend a LOT of time at the public library with my daughter, anywhere from one to four times each week. Why? Going in the morning gets this not-a-morning-mama up and out of the house early. It gives my daughter, who is not in daycare, an opportunity to interact with other children of varying ages. It gives ME a chance to interact with adults. It’s a change of scenery, a change of pace, and gives us different toys and puzzles to play with. And, you know, that whole early literacy thing. That, too.

Because I’ve spent so much time there I’ve conducted my own very unscientific, very unofficial anthropological study of the other parents I encounter and the behavior we all share.

May I present to you my findings after observing the library parents in their natural environment:

1. The futile pleas to play pretend  Read more...

Parenting on Facebook and Instagram

May 16, 2013 by marie5k

You know that phrase on your car’s rear view mirrors?  “Objects in mirror are closer than they appear.”  That’s how I feel about parenting on Facebook and Instagram.  Status updates and pictures posted on Instagram are not always what they appear…  News feeds on Facebook profiles everywhere are cluttered with status updates by parents proclaiming,

“Annabelle ate an entire plate of kale for dinner!  And asked for more for dessert!!”

and, my all time favorite-

“Lucas slept 12 hours straight last night!! At only 3 weeks!! Love HIM!”

You know the culprits.  You have just spent a sleepless night with your kid waking up every two hours demanding to be fed, held, or rocked and that second cup of coffee has about the same effect as throwing a match into a bonfire.  Or, you spent the better part of the dinner hour begging, pleading, and bribing your kid with toys JUST to eat a plate of dinosaur chicken nuggets.  Guess what?  THAT is real life.  And it’s real life to your other over-sharing mom and dad friends on facebook and instagram who are constantly praising their perfect children.  They just choose to gloss over the temper tantrums, thrown food, and 2:00 in the morning parties going on in their kid’s crib.  Read more...

I am every mother.

May 15, 2013 by Cora

Source

I am every mother.  I am a mother of one, two, or three, or more.  I am a mother of multiples.  I am a new mother.  I am a pregnant mother.  I am a working mother or  a stay at-home mother.  I am inspired by all the moms I see on a daily basis.  I am shocked by the behavior of some of the mothers I see at the playground.  I am constantly reminding myself that every mother, every day, is doing the best she can.

I am one and done.  I am unsure how we will manage two kids.  I would have a 3^rd in a heartbeat if I didn’t think that the pregnancy would put me at serious health risk.  I wonder if a 4th child would improve the dynamics and decrease the bickering because there wouldn’t be an “odd-man-out.”   We would have a lot more babies by now but my baby died inside me and I am scared shitless to get pregnant again because of the thought that I might lose another one.  Read more...

Teaching My Daughter About Kindness

May 13, 2013 by Michelle

I didn’t really have big plans for mother’s day yesterday. I was happy just hanging around doing the same old thing. I went for a run in the morning and decided to head to the Odiyana Center for a Sunday meditation class. Turns out the meditation was specific for mother’s day and focused on remembering the kindness of our mother. Even more than that though, the emphasis was about how important kindness is in general. We would not be where we are today without the kindness of others. The meditation was just beautiful and a wonderful reminder about how I want to live my life.  Read more...

My Mother’s Love

May 9, 2013 by carlycorrigan

Mother’s love is peace. It need not be acquired, it need not be deserved.

-Erich Fromm

My mommy and me circa 1984

There has never been a day in my life that I have doubted my mom’s love for me or felt that I had to earn it. It was handed to me freely without any stipulation. She has always been there for me when I needed something; a listening ear, shoulder to cry on, advice (whether or not I chose to listen).  Read more...