Reactive Attachment Disorder: bonding with a wounded child
Progress took time — and the work of staying bonded with a wounded child is a life-time endeavor. That’s okay though because Julia has stepped out of the danger zone. She’s taken off her helmet and armor. She has let me become her mother.
Where can I find boy-friendly headbands?
After spending his entire life in a decidedly “I want to be like my dad” phase my almost four-year-old has recently entered into a “I want to be like my mom” phase. Part of this includes his new desire to have long hair — like, down his back long. Both his dad and I are totally cool with this, but it turns out the growing out of his hair is a total pain.
What watching a five-year-old break a board taught me about life
The other evening, I went to see the five-year-old I take care of test for her yellow belt, the second level of karate. All the athletes were very talented, and you could tell they had been working hard. But then came the part I’m not sure Sophia was expecting: breaking the board. I’ll admit, I wasn’t sure if she could handle it.
Have any of you adopted your second child after giving birth to your first?
My husband and I are parents to a wonderful baby girl, and we absolutely love parenthood. We’re thinking about having a second child, but we’re interested in going a different route. My husband is on board with trying to have a biological child or adopting, so right now I’m just hoping to get a little insight into the lives of families who have done something similar.
All about how I gave birth to my ten pound baby at home
Towards the end of my pregnancy, I was huge. So big that no one believed I wasn’t overdue or not arrying twins. My midwife and I were actually bullied by my backup OB over the baby’s size, so I fired him and we found another OB. After all, ultrasounds are notoriously innacurate this late in pregnancy. My first was supposed to be 10 pounds and was 7.5.
Imaginary friends, no time outs, and two more ways we’re compassionately disciplining our preschooler
So here’s the thing about discipline in our house: up until recently, we had no idea what to do about it. We went through a flirtation with time-outs for a while — we had a special chair that was in a special spot, and whenever it seemed appropriate, we followed through with asking/making our then-toddler sit in time out. It never felt totally “right” but it didn’t feel wrong, and it was better than other alternatives we knew of at the time.
What kind of pregnancy announcement gifts do you give hip grandparents-to-be?
My husband and I recently found out I’m pregnant and would like to tell our families around Christmas. I think it would be fun to get cute Grandma and Grandpa gifts and see their reaction when they open them. My parents are really HIP though — like hippie cool, and would never want a necklace that says “Grandma’s Angels” or a sign that says “What happens at Grandpa’s stays at Grandpa’s.”
Beauty in sadness: reflecting on the hospice in which my mother passed away
My mother, an RN since 1968, was a pioneer of childbirth education in the 1970s, 80s and 90s. She was one of the first people in Texas to ever teach Lamaze as an alternative to childbirth while under anesthesia (the status quo of the 1970s). She earned her Masters in Nursing while my brother and I were in high school. She wrote hundreds of articles about comfort methods during pregnancy and childbirth, about exercise during pregnancy, and childcare in the first year of life. When she was admitted to Christus Sister Mary Hospice on September 21, 2012, she had spent the last five months in hospitals and skilled nursing facilities battling heart valve failure and congestive heart failure.