I used to believe that once I became a mom, I’d be a full-fledged adult. If I’m in charge of raising other human beings, I should be done growing up myself, right? Wrong. ⠀⠀ Apparently, life-long learning is a thing & some of us are slow learners… meaning we wrestle with the same bullshit over […]
Mom Used to Say Monday: The Burden of Responsibility is Gone
Sprawled out on my extra-long twin bed, phone cord stretched to the limit, I mustered up the courage to ask the question that’d been swimming in my head for months. “Why do you think we get along so well now? I mean, we never got along before I moved out. What’s changed?” “I think you […]
Mom Used to Say Monday: Stop telling me everything…
Growing up, my mom and I weren’t what you’d call “close.” Who am I kidding… we didn’t’ get a long at all… AT ALL. I knew with complete certainty that she loved me. And I was just as certain she didn’t like me very much. There were a million reasons why we never connected – […]
Mom Used to Say Monday: Just Because You Can Swim…
As a teenager, nothing sent my eyes rolling heavenward faster than my mom’s words of wisdom. She had a cliche at the ready in any situation. Little did I know, those quips would be rolling off my own tongue once I became a mom. Her most famous quote was this: “Just because you can swim, doesn’t mean I’m […]
How to be a Successful Parent Like Me
Many literary experts agree there are approximately seven plot lines in existence. Every story, no matter the setting, characters, climax, or resolution, is simply a variation of one of these seven main plots. One could argue this is true in parenting as well. The lessons which teach our children are all variations of a handful […]
My kids didn’t choose me… and that’s OK.
My reaction to kid/parenting videos like these evolves in 3 phases. Phase 1: The Ugly Cry. (Tears streaming and snot dribbling included.) Phase 2: The irrational fear that I am a terrible parent who will never raise kids like that. Phase 3: The decision to quit our jobs, sell our home, and […]
Fourteen Ways 41 Feels Like 14
We sat around my parents’ table. To my right, my 18-year-old niece preparing to go to college. To my left, my 97-year-old grandmother. Thousands of experiences between them – lessons learned, dreams fulfilled, storms weathered. And still more to come. We sat at parents’ table and laughed until we cried, shared silly and embarrassing memories, […]
What I’ve Learned After 16 Years of Marriage
This summer, I was married 16 years. Forty percent of my life has been spent committed to a man I met when I was a 22-year-old graduate student, living on my own for the very first time, on the cusp of beginning my first “real job.” On the eve of my 16th wedding anniversary, I was […]
The Awkward Conversations Aren’t Always with Your Kids
I used to think a “good mom” always responded with mama-bear-like ferocity when she learned her cub had been injured- physically or emotionally. Twelve years of motherhood had taught me differently. First, there’s no such thing as a “good mom.” We are all the best moms we can be with who we are and what […]
Real Life Instagram Filter Names
I embraced turning 40. I felt stronger, happier, more content in my own skin than I had at any other point in my life. My marriage was strong, my friendships established. I had accepted my flaws and my pants size… Well, maybe not “accepted” my pants size. But I definitely worried about it much less […]
