The (unnecessary) stress of picking preschools
With all of the unsolicited advice a new parent gets, I would have thought that the sheer panic and guilt over preschool would have been mentioned some place. I still remember all of the friendly warnings about sleepless nights and colicky babies. I have in my possession notes from friends and family with tips on how to calm my fussy newborn, why they prefer cloth diapers to disposables and the best place in the neighborhood to take a “Mommy & Me” yoga class.
How can we make sure my step-daughter feels comfortable with our future children?
I have a step-daughter and am worried she may feel jealousy or negativity toward any children her dad and I have in the future. I also don’t want our children to resent her. I’ve searched all over parenting and family forums and I’m not getting a lot — I’ve found plenty of typical sibling rivalry stories and advice, or stories from adopted/foster children who resented their parents’ birth children. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find anything about step/half sibling issues.
Vintage throwback-style maternity photos
I totally swooned over this series of vintage-inspired maternity photos Erica sent. Her photographer, Arkansas-based Devin Kuhl of DK Photoshoot definitely has a few wonderful tricks up his sleeve!
Why we’re not planning on cutting our son’s hair anytime soon
My son is newly two-years-old, and has long, blonde, curly hair. Aside from the fact that it’s usually a bit wild, it pretty much looks like the kind you’d find on toddler beauty queens — and we have no intentions of cutting it any time soon. Sure, we’re nearly constantly bombarded with mis-assumptions about his sex due to his hair, and family members are always quick to ask us when we’re going to finally cut it.
What my favorite teacher means to me
To me, teachers — whether they’re in a public, private, or home setting — are absolutely invaluable. I’ve always admired those who choose to enter the profession or opt to teach their own children. Teaching seems to be much more than standing in front of a classroom and dispensing logic — great teachers genuinely get to know and care for their students in the process, and students in turn for their teachers. So I thought that since it’s World Teacher’s Day it would be most appropriate to celebrate a few of my favorite teachers — and a few of yours.
I’m looking for winter pregnancy shoes that are comfy AND warm
My question for current and future mamas out there: what are the best possible shoes I can buy for safe, comfortable winter wear during and after my pregnancy? I’d love to find something that can be worn all day, and even better, something that I can wear in front of co-workers without getting the “oh, you adorable pregnant creature, you” face. I’m not necessarily looking for specific shoes or boots, just styles and shapes that mamas before me have found to be friendly for potentially size-shifting feet in less-than-perfect weather.
The pain that comes with unexpectedly losing your relationship with a child
Any kind of grief is incredibly difficult to write about — putting words to paper makes everything that much more real. My wife and I recently “lost” two little girls — they’re still very much alive, but we’re no longer part of their lives. Victoria, my wife, was their nanny.
Because few things are better than two dads in matching shirts holding matching babies
Alan and Brian have been married for years and have always dreamed of starting a family. They took matters into their own hands and found a surrogate in India. They were more than pleasantly surprised when they learned that she was pregnant with twins. The pair has recently returned to New York City from India with their son and daughter in tow — and now the family is complete.