Before I had my first baby, I had a corporate job, complete with cubicles, bureaucracy and a never-ending supply of donuts and half-finished cakes calling to me from the break room. I didn’t grieve any of that when I left my job to go on maternity leave. Not the stray, half-eaten sweets that always seemed […]
5 Tips for Parenting through the Storm
Updated February 2017: Since the new year is turning out to be just as intense as 2016, I updated this article and added one extra tip. OK, 2016 is proving itself to be a pretty intense year… and it isn’t even over yet. News from around the world has been bleak. With multiple mass shootings […]
An Army of Moms & The Hashtag #meditateonthis
This week an influential health panel, the US Preventive Services Task Force, issued new recommendations regarding maternal mental health, stating that all women should be screened for depression during pregnancy and after childbirth. Mothers and mental health care providers everywhere rejoiced. Being a mom and a therapist myself, I was doubly overjoyed. Ten years ago, […]
How Do You Fret? The 8 Types of New Parent Worries :: Monday Musing
Anxiety is a completely normal part of being a new parent. In fact, the worrying often begins before your child ever enters this world. During my first pregnancy, I remember being in a constant state of wonder. Wondering if my baby was healthy. Wondering if I would carry him full-term. Wondering if the birth would […]
So, You’re Not A Baby Person :: Monday Musing
My best friend in college was really into babies. Like, really. She loved to coo at them and cuddle with them. So much so, that for her 20th birthday, when she was not even close to starting a family, I gave her the gorgeously illustrated, Anne Geddes Baby Name Keepsake Book. Strange gift for a […]
Laugh and Laugh Often :: Tuesday Tip
When my newborn son and I were still figuring out breastfeeding, I realized that I was going to be spending a lot of time awake… in the middle of the night… by myself… in the dark. At first, I tried to fight through my sleepiness while I made sure that my new baby’s latch was […]
Kicking Parenting Shame to the Curb :: Monday Musing
My eyes tend to wander when I’m in the grocery store check-out line. Typically, I’m scanning the magazines and tabloids, catching up on two minutes of trashy news while I wait. The other day, something else caught my attention. I noticed a couple in the check out line next to me, waiting for their groceries […]
Feeding Your Little Ones :: Wednesday Wisdom
Meet Cheryl Carey, MSW. She is the founder of Taste & See Healthy Baby Food, an organization that offers tips, recipes, instructional classes and hands-on cooking workshops to parents who want more guidance on feeding their growing babies. Cheryl has a Master’s degree in social work from Texas State University and worked for more than […]
Alone with Baby – 3 Ways to Reduce Flying Solo Fear :: Tuesday Tip
My friend Val said the weirdest thing to my colicky infant daughter: “Sweet baby… I’m not afraid of you!” Once I was sure I’d heard her correctly, I realized that I was, in fact, afraid of my child. Not in a “Rosemary’s Baby” sort of way. I was afraid of my perceived lack of ability […]
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 […]
Shooing Away Anxiety :: Tuesday Tip
The Internet is packed with articles teaching readers how to “tame the anxiety monster” or “slay the anxiety dragon”. I personally think of anxiety as an annoying honey bee that won’t leave you alone. It buzzes in your ear, it follows you around and just when you have something really sweet going on in your […]
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. […]
Losing The Weight of Toxic Secrets :: Monday Musing
We’ve all got secrets, and the varieties are endless: Things we carry for others. Things we’ve done that we wish we could undo. Things we’re doing we wish we could stop. Things others have done to us. Our motivations for keeping secrets vary too: Risk to ourselves: career loss, relationship loss, reputation damage. More risk […]
4 Ways to Write Your Worries :: Tuesday Tip
Ever feel like you have so many things on your mind, your head is about to explode? I call them Linda Blair moments. I had one last week. I was standing in the middle of my kitchen and felt like my head was spinning out of control, Exorcist-style. I couldn’t figure out what to do […]
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 […]