…”reclaim your right to be interesting.” The first time I met our next door neighbor after we’d moved into a new house he said to me, “Oh, so you’re just a housewife.” At the time, I was the stay-at-home mom of a two-year-old and seven months pregnant with our second child. By outside metrics I was…

A parent considers her children’s safety — Remember the mother in Uvalde, Texas who had an altercation with law enforcement as she tried to enter Robb Elementary to save her child(ren) from the shooter there? They weren’t going in, so she was going to. I know that mom; I am her. My daughter sent the text above…

Experimentation leads to growth—and fun and adventure — By the time you read this the soccer team of middle schoolers I’m coaching will have played our first game. I’ve never coached a sport before and am only doing it because no one else volunteered, though I did play in high school. …

Women, and moms especially, are deprived of fun — As I typed the title of this email my brain wanted to switch out “fun” for “sex.” Not because I want to know, but because that question is part of our public consciousness. On the other hand, how frequently do experts or articles, partners or friends consider the question of…

Own your own stuff only — I’m not taking responsibility for things that aren’t mine. This is what I keep telling myself. It’s fitting for many areas of my life. I’m always worrying, jumping in, fixing, even when the problem is someone else’s or the situation requires nothing from me. But that’s why I exist, right…

A case of lice reveals gender inequality A friend texts that his wife has just found lice in their 9-year-old daughter’s hair. Oh no, I think. Here we go. Our families, each with a daughter and son, just spent five days together. …

And what we can do to prevent it — When a kid walks in the room—your child or anybody else’s child—does your face light up? -Toni Morrison I was well into being a parent when I realized that not only did my face not light up when my kids entered the room but my whole body grew tense—chest tightening…

Not about them—about me. — When our daughter came along, followed two years later by our son, my husband was quick to get to know them—how they liked to be held, what soothed them, what entertained them. Who he didn’t know then though was me, not in my new role of mother. It wasn’t his…

Let’s normalize moms traveling without their families — “You can’t do that. You’re a mother.” I’ve read different versions of this statement in Facebook groups for solo female travelers. They don’t come from the members themselves but the members’ stories of their (male) partners, parents, or other concerned family members. …