Breastfeeding, like so much else in the world of mothering, has often felt to me like more of a call for mothers to martyr themselves for the benefit of their babies, rather than a choice. “Breast is best” is the saying I have had hammered into my head since becoming a mom. When it comes to breastfeeding, what I want

As my child’s first birthday approached, our family and friends excitedly asked if we were going to do a smash cake. I smiled and said we were going to give her a chocolate cupcake, but I expected she would barely touch it and certainly wouldn’t eat it. The thing a lot of people didn’t know was that our baby was

I felt like my baby stole my sanity the instant she was born. I used to be a list-making, task-crushing, organized, and focused productivity machine. I was efficient, nothing slipped through the cracks. Now that I am a mom, if I brush my teeth and put on clothes that I didn’t wear the day before, it’s pretty much a win.

I tensed up as I saw my toddler reach out and shove her baby sister to the ground. My normally mild-mannered child had an unexpected burst of aggression trying to protect a castle she just built, and her sister had a bloody lip to show for it. I picked up the baby and held her close, as my brain ran

I sat bleary-eyed one morning at the kitchen table after being up with my two-month-old ten times the previous night. I was at the end of my rope and guzzling coffee in hopes that I might get a little burst of energy to survive the day caring for my hyper toddler and clingy baby. Just then the baby started crying

Our plan was always to try and have two kids. My husband and I had easily agreed that two would be the perfect number and we were blessed with our plans becoming a reality. We now have a three-year-old and an eleven-month-old. What I didn’t expect was the desire to have a third kid.   During my entire second pregnancy, I

A few months ago, while I was scrolling through work emails on my phone, I looked over to see my toddler walking in circles around our kitchen counter while yammering away on her plastic cell phone. She then sent a few texts to Elmo and checked her emails because she was in the “tree business” and had a lot of

I am a “make lists, stick to the routine, and read a million parenting books” type of mom. I have a plan for everything. As the primary caregiver of our kids, I am used to having control (and I like being in control). This unfortunately has turned me into the parent who thinks I have all the answers, or at

I am a COVID-era mom. I had both my children during the pandemic, which pretty much means I avoided social interactions with other moms for the better part of two years. As an introvert with a touch of social anxiety, this might not have been the best thing for me. It was just the excuse I needed to not put

I start most days feeling like I have a clean slate and am armed with a plan for what the “perfect” day will look like for me as a parent. I am confident, calm, and ready for what the day brings. And then inevitably things don’t go to plan. I react to situations in less than perfect ways, as my