Becoming a wife and mother: What’s going to happen to my identity?
The kind of questions my husband and I get are totally different. People ask him, “Are you ready to lose your freedom?” while people ask me, “Are you ready to be a mother?” Maybe it’s just the way these jokes and comments and questions stacked up, but it doesn’t feel like I can just “lighten up.” Any confidence I had in myself to ignore what people were saying quickly dissipated, and one of my newest and biggest worries was born.
As I grow in my relationship with my husband and future family, what’s going to happen to my identity?
How a deceased fantasy writer helped me explain death to my 4-year-old
Death is a scary question. It is the scary question. It’s your first real encounter of the inevitable as a child; the day you realise, because you live, you are going to have to die. Petrifying! I didn’t want to dismiss it with the old Catholic one-liners that I was fed as a child, but I didn’t want to traumatise my child any further with whatever half-baked, uncharted belly flop into the pool of hippy parenting my brain was feverishly trying to piece together.
Do my interactions with strangers shape my toddler’s view of gender?
Three years and a thousand miles away from my graduate program and the endless discussions on what it means to resist dominant discourses of heteronormativity, I find myself tempted to cut the curls I adore. I believe that little boys should be able to have flowing tresses and that rosy cheeks and pink pajamas are not the property of femininity. And yet, I get tired of correcting all the well-meaning strangers who compliment my child with the wrong pronoun. And despite myself, I wonder what message Morgan learns from their confusion.
How an Offbeat Bride realized “the picture perfect relationship” is a lie
Rocky relationships, fights, talks about breaking up… sometimes relationships aren’t all sunshine and rainbows. Sometimes they’re not the perfect instagram photo of the two super-smile-y fuckers that you wish you could be. Guess what: Those super-smile-y fuckers aren’t perfect either.
Why I send my kid outside to a kindergarten in the forest
It’s winter in Georgia. The children waddle into the woods in layers of warm and waterproof clothes, awkward and round. The teachers’ hats are pulled down over their ears and when they stomp their feet and clap their hands along with the songs and poems at morning circle time, they do so with extra motivation.
This is the hardest time of year to send our children outside to kindergarten for the day, and the most important…
How can you best relate to friends with imprisoned loved ones?
When I found out what had happened I knew my friend would be devastated. Her partner will be in jail for years, not weeks. I have messaged her a few times indicating I would love to see her, and we are planning a catch up in the next few weeks. My conundrum is this: Do we talk about her partner? Do I pass on my best wishes? Do I just ask if she is okay? What is the best way to show my support to her, and by proxy, her imprisoned partner.
Bonding by venting: Because tearing things down together is a shared activity
People bond by venting. And while negativity is a great social tool — tearing things down together is a shared activity! — it’s just also very, very damaging…
How can I have a great big long-distance holiday?
We’re a young military family that anticipates a move soon, so we won’t be going home to visit family this Christmas. This isn’t the first time (nor will it be the last), but this year is different… It’s going to be our daughter’s first Christmas, and we very much want to include our parents. I need some advice about how to have a great big long-distance holiday! Any suggestions would be much appreciated, especially from anyone who’s done this before.