We all mean well. Parents in the Wild (aka Target) tune into each other, and can keenly sense distress. The desire to help each other out is natural and good, but sometimes our ways of going about it miss the mark. Here are three ways I often received “support” that felt anything but supportive: “Enjoy […]
Can I Do This? Facing Parenting Inadequacy Anxiety :: Monday Musing
Kirsten’s awesome anxiety tip made a visual pop into my head: a big deck of gross cards, representing the multiple anxieties I had/have about motherhood. It took me a long time to connect with any sort of desire to have children, and when that drive finally became strong enough to push me through the intense […]
A Crack In My Armor :: Monday Musing
You’re a real trooper. I love receiving that compliment and I’m known to frequently dole it out myself. Other versions of it go something like this: You’re a hoss. You’re super tough. You roll with the punches and keep on rolling. When I hear these affirmations, I envision a thick-skinned warrior woman, covered in armor. […]
Picture Imperfect – A Mother’s Social Media Outtakes:: Monday Musing
Facebook and I have a love/hate relationship with each other. I love that I can now recognize the sweet faces of extended family when they pick me up at airports across the ocean. We don’t have to start from scratch when catching each other up on years of news. I also love coming across an […]
Unmet Expectations – 3 Ways to Cope with Parenting Disappointments :: Tuesday Tip
A lot of moms and partners experience some sort of let down during pregnancy, birth and the first few months with their newborns. Maybe you hoped to have a girl, and felt a twinge when you got the ultrasound results. Maybe breastfeeding was insanely difficult, and you had to switch to formula sooner than you’d […]
The Child Sleep Consultant :: Wednesday Wisdom
Meet Lori Strong. She is a Certified Child Sleep Consultant and a Certified Happiest Baby Educator. She is also the founder and owner of Strong Little Sleepers, which was built on the idea that all families need and deserve to get a good night’s sleep. Lori was the first certified child sleep consultant in Austin, […]
Free-Range Helicopter :: Monday Musing
Wander over to the parenting section of a bookstore, and you’ll find shelves crammed with various child-rearing philosophies: Attachment Parenting, Slow Parenting, Tiger Parenting. Everyone has advice to give and they often seem to contradict each other. You’re not alone if you find this to be overwhelming. Occasionally I’ll find a gem of a book […]
Yes Trespassing :: Tuesday Tip
The link between a mom and a newborn is remarkably intense. It can involve breastfeeding, bliss, struggle, depression, bonding, regret, anxiety, protectiveness, super-strength, exhaustion; and can overwhelm both parents. Psychologist Augustus Napier refers to it as the “charmed circle of mother and child,” and writes about how intimidating that circle can be, especially for fathers […]
Label My Child, Please :: Monday Musing
Being married to a therapist, my husband has participated in his fair share of parenting strategy sessions. Ok… maybe MORE than his fair share. (This would be an appropriate time to bestow a little sympathy on spouses of therapists everywhere.) One of our initial co-parenting talks took place while I was pregnant with our first […]
I’d Die For Them – A Modern Family’s Tale :: Monday Musing
Occasionally at BPP we make things personal. Our hope is that revealing some of our own struggles and triumphs will resonate with and inspire you. Cheryl submitted this essay to the Gay Dad Project, an online resource for families in which one parent has come out as LGBTQ. The Gay Dad Project provides a safe […]
Raising Multilingual Children :: Wednesday Wisdom
Meet Claudia Kramer Santamaria. She is a lifelong educator who has worked as a teacher, elementary principal and currently, the Supervisor of Parent Programs for Austin Independent School District. We asked Claudia to share about her experience of immigrating to the United States from Uruguay as a child. We also wanted to learn about the […]
The Hardest Job :: Monday Musing
Parenting is the hardest job you’ll EVER have. I repeatedly heard folks say this before I had my first child but I had no earthly idea what they meant. “I think I’ll take up scrap booking while I’m home with baby… you know, something to fill up my time,” I casually mentioned to one of […]
How Infertility Prepared Me for Parenthood :: Monday Musing
It took me a long time to get pregnant. Approximately four years, from the time I first thought, Hmmm. I might be ready for a baby, to the morning I saw those two pink lines miraculously show up on the pregnancy test. It was a journey that began gradually and naively for my husband and […]
Not Quite Right :: Mother’s Day Moment
We’ve all seen those kids – their hair looks like it was accidentally dipped into a paper shredder and you just know that they found the craft scissors and decided to give themselves a trim. That was my sister and me growing up. Our hair was as uneven and tragic as Billy Idol’s shag in […]
Parenting as an Adoptive, Single Dad :: Wednesday Wisdom
Meet Terry Cox… amazing dad to one of the coolest kids we know. We’re excited to feature Terry because he brings two perspectives to our Wisdom table: that of an adoptive parent and a single dad. Terry describes himself as a South Austinite, trying to stay young in mind and body. Terry worked as a […]