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A Superhero Who Looks Like My Son

All my childhood superhero heroes were squarely white. How could I share my comics with my Ethiopian son and say, “Don’t you want to be like them?” Read More...

Published Thu, Jun 06 2013 8:41 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Fathers, Ethiopia, Father's Day, Children and Childhood, Comic Books and Strips, Essays, Superman (Fictional Character), Spider-Man (Fictional Character), Parker, Peter, Marvel Comics

I Got Pregnant at 14. Ask Me About Plan B.

When I became a mother for the first time at 15, I was old enough to give my consent for adoption — but I would not have been old enough to purchase emergency contraception under the old F.D.A. rules. Read More...

Published Tue, Jun 06 2013 11:56 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, _featured, Teenage Pregnancy, Teenagers and Adolescence, Birth Control and Family Planning, Plan B (Contraceptive), Essays

What I Learned (Too Late) About Keeping Kids Safe Around Dogs

Knowing what I know now, I see Zeke was using all his best dog language to tell us he was afraid, annoyed, maybe even in pain. Read More...

Published Thu, Jun 06 2013 10:53 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Pets, _featured, Children and Childhood, Essays, Animals, Dogs

Why a Widowed Mom Sends Her Son to Camp All Summer

I’m the widowed mother of one, and there’s no one in the world who would fault me for keeping him close. Except me. Read More...

Published Sun, Jun 06 2013 5:30 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, _featured, Families and Family Life, Marriages, Grief (Emotion), Camps and Camping, Essays

Why I Write About My Daughter’s O.C.D.

Try telling my daughter that she should keep her disorders a secret because some jerk might Google her some day. She’ll give you exactly the eye roll you deserve. Read More...

Published Thu, May 05 2013 8:11 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, _featured, Mental Health and Disorders, Children and Childhood, Writing and Writers, Essays, Tourette's Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

A Solo Trip Takes a Mother Home

Our filled-to-the-brim schedule went on for years. One day, I realized I'd had enough. Read More...

Published Fri, May 05 2013 8:24 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, Travel and Vacations, Essays

A New Mom Is Downsized, but Not Down and Out

As a pregnant school manager, I never imagined that seven weeks after giving birth, I would be working at a specialty foods store, slinging food for people whose lives no longer resembled mine. Read More...

Published Thu, Apr 04 2013 11:55 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, _featured, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Working Hours, Health Insurance and Managed Care, Essays, Layoffs and Job Reductions

No City for Little Boys

Little boys like mine need to move their bodies, to explore and wrestle and chase each other around. They need to shake the ants out of their pants, and city life just doesn't allow for it. Read More...

Published Sun, Apr 04 2013 6:24 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, _featured, Children and Childhood, Education (K-12), Men and Boys, Essays

Outlawing Abortion Won’t Help Children with Down Syndrome

Some parents are celebrating the news that North Dakota has become the first state to outlaw abortion for fetal conditions like Down syndrome. I'm not. Read More...

Published Mon, Apr 04 2013 9:05 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Uncategorized, parenting, abortion, Down syndrome, _featured, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Babies and Infants, Women and Girls, Essays, North Dakota

Defending a Child’s Right to Fight

Is there any father who hasn’t wished at least once during his son’s metamorphosis from little savage to a little less savage, “Won’t some kid pound my kid?” Read More...

Published Sun, Mar 03 2013 6:05 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, _featured, Children and Childhood, Essays

A Narrow Escape, and Lasting Guilt

When I hear about a tragedy caused by a moment of parental carelessness — a hot car, an unlocked pool gate — I don't judge the parents. I was lucky. Read More...

Published Tue, Mar 03 2013 9:04 AM by Motherlode

Filed under: Essays

I Want More Children; He Doesn’t

After eight years of marriage and two kids, my husband and I are fighting over whether or not to have more children — and our battles are revealing bigger divisions. Read More...

Published Mon, Mar 03 2013 12:17 PM by Motherlode

Filed under: parenting, _featured, Pregnancy and Childbirth, Children and Childhood, Marriages, Essays

The Psychologist as (Wary) Parent

When I was a psychologist pregnant with my first child, a colleague asked, “Do you want to hear how psychologists screw up their kids?” Read More...