November 2014 - Motherlode - The Network of Care

Conversation Starters for Beyond the Thanksgiving Table

Talking about gratitude and giving around the Thanksgiving table is a great time to start a new family tradition: jump starting better conversations every night. Read More...

Published Thu, Nov 20 2014 7:41 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Personal Finances, Thanksgiving Day, Highlights, The Opposite of Spoiled

It’s a Boy, and It’s Okay to Be Disappointed

When the ultrasound technician found that white blob between the legs of my baby on the computer screen, I cried. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 19 2014 9:17 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: gender, parenting, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Babies and Infants, Highlights

Three Girls? ‘I Feel Sorry for Their Father’

Almost everywhere we go— a hike on a mountain trail, a restaurant, an art museum-- unsolicited comments about the same sex of my children follow. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 19 2014 9:17 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: gender, parenting, Women and Girls, Highlights

Pregnant With a Boy? Even in 2014, Some Call That ‘Lucky’

I was pregnant: I didn’t want to engage people in a discussion on gender. I wanted to take a nap. Still, I was alarmed to hear repeatedly that it was somehow preferable to have a boy instead of a girl. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 19 2014 9:16 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: gender, parenting, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Women and Girls, Highlights

‘He’s Gone.’ A Daddy, Deployed

In this moment, just after their father has been deployed, I can't safeguard their hearts; I am unable to spare these tears. It's a powerless feeling, before the sun is up. Read More...

Published Tue, Nov 18 2014 8:40 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, United States Defense and Military Forces, Deployment Diary

Even the Democratic Caucus Can Fail to Accommodate Pregnancy

Primarily Democrats and President Obama continue to push for the Pregnant Workers Fairness Act, but a Democratic representative who is pregnant cannot get an exception on voting rules. Read More...

Published Mon, Nov 17 2014 1:48 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: discrimination, Pregnancy and Childbirth, House of Representatives, Highlights, Democratic Party, Duckworth, L Tammy

Quandary: Between Unknown Cousins and the Children’s Table, Thanksgiving Can Be Hard for Kids

Now is the moment to prepare children for Thanksgiving: show pictures of past gatherings, remind them of the names that go with faces and talk about things like interrupting, playing with younger cousins, new foods and appreciating gifts but not expecting...

Published Mon, Nov 17 2014 11:08 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, advice, Thanksgiving Day

Lessons in Living While Dying, From Pop

My kids have learned a new vocabulary, including words like lymphoma, chemotherapy, radiation, tumor and bone marrow. But they have also learned something important about being flexible, helping out, keeping a sense of humor and taking care of their elders...

Published Sun, Nov 16 2014 5:19 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Cancer, Death and Dying, Highlights

Cooking More Tacos and Looking for Recipes for Leftover Oatmeal

Chicken and dumplings. Shake and Bake pork chops. Baked potatoes. If it weren't for the night we're having chorizo, I'd be pretty sure I'd turned into my mother. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 14 2014 12:38 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Cooking and Cookbooks, Dinnerlode, Oatmeal

Dear Dr. Psych Mom: I’m Almost a Parent Myself, and My Parents Are Smothering Me

I am 30 years old, married and pregnant with our first child. My parents’ overprotectiveness worries me a lot, especially now that I’m going to be a mom. Read More...

Published Fri, Nov 14 2014 10:41 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Highlights

Bittersweet Sixteen

There are lots of milestones as kids move through adolescence: 10, when you enter double digits; 13 when you become a teenager; 18 when you finish high school. But when you are a kid with a driver’s license and access to a car, 16 is a game changer. Read...

Published Fri, Nov 14 2014 6:02 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Teenagers and Adolescence, Highlights, Age, Chronological

Adoptees Like Me ‘Flip the Script’ on the Pro-Adoption Narrative

I don’t know how to solve the broader problems with adoption, or even my own. But I’m relieved that more adoptees are finding a way to talk about all of our adoption experiences and the reality that not all adoptions end in rainbows and bubbly baby smiles...

Published Thu, Nov 13 2014 11:19 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Children and Childhood, Adoptions, Depression (Mental), Highlights

To A.P. or Not to A.P., That Is the Question

Advanced Placement courses can be a real boon to students motivated by intellectual curiosity and a love of learning. But for students looking to please their parents or for those in pursuit of transcript padding and other false academic idols, A.P. courses...

Published Thu, Nov 13 2014 8:49 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Education (K-12), Admissions Standards, Tests and Examinations, Highlights, Mathews, Jay

When All Else Fails, Embryo Adoption Offers Hope

After four years of infertility and many failures, this little baby popsicle of an embryo was our best hope at finally becoming parents. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 12 2014 11:59 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, infertility, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Adoptions, Fertility Drugs, Highlights

A Soon-to-Be Grandma, Ready to Learn

This spring, my older daughter announced that she was pregnant. And I realized almost immediately that I knew nothing about today's birthing or parenting issues. I had a lot of catching up to do. Read More...

Published Wed, Nov 12 2014 8:48 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Grandparents, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Highlights

November 2014 - Motherlode

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