-
“Actually, we don’t Celebrate Halloween”: Parenting According to Personal Values
“What are you dressing up as for Halloween this year?” the sales-woman asked. Levi looked at her, then me, and walked away. Typically, I gently encourage him to converse with the people talking to him, but in this case, I knew that I would have to answer on his behalf, since he had no idea what she was talking about. In the moment, though, I wasn’t sure how to answer, either. “Actually, we don’t celebrate Halloween. I despise the holiday, actually, and while I think dressing up little kids in various costumes is cute, I wasn’t planning on doing it with my children this year.” I wasn’t sure if I…
-
The Important Role of Daddy
This weekend, Levi came down with a fever. It was a strange one; no other symptoms or complaints, just sore eyes, a bit of lethargy, and an elevated temperature. I don’t do great when my kids are sick. It’s a rare occurrence, thankfully, but when it does, I become an anxious mess of a parent, the kind that imagines and prepares for every possible scenario and has terrifying visions of febrile seizures and the like. So it was an amazing gift to me when Kevin stepped up and said, “I’ll take care of Levi. You take care of Lucy.” Kevin sacrificed his own sleep to hold Levi for most…
-
Fertility Awareness Part 4 – Our Continuing Story
This is the conclusion to a four part article on Fertility Awareness. Part 1 – The Beginning of Our Story Part 2 – Birth Control and its Effects on Reproduction Part 3 – Personal Interviews I believe in fertility awareness and know that it works. There isn’t a day that goes by that I am not grateful for the choice that Kevin and I made. It has brought a depth of respect to our sex life that has resulted from the shared responsibility and consistent communication. It also gave me a peace knowing that when we did have children, whether planned or unplanned, my body would be in its natural,…
-
A Beautiful Mess
The first major conflict between Kevin and I happened about a week before our wedding. For months, we had been collecting furniture and decor and packing up our belongings, and the time had finally come to bring it all together in our tiny new apartment. I had anticipated the day with giddiness. Long had I envisioned where every chair, picture frame, and lamp would go to make the 300 square foot space a home. I longed, too, for the romantic harmony of almost-lovers making their first home together. Here’s what happened: My vision didn’t come together. Furniture was larger than I had prepared for, walls to small, outlets in inconvenient…
-
“let’s write a blog.”
I’ve heard it said recently that the inciting incident for every story is either the beginning of a journey or a stranger coming to town. In the case of parenting, I think it’s both. Our journey began about four years ago when my husband said to me, completely nonchalant and out of the blue, “Let’s have a baby.” My heart started pounding, and a list of excuses as to why we weren’t ready began pouring out of my mouth. He insisted that the time was right, and that if I always submitted to my fears, we would never have children. A huge argument and many tears ensued. Long story short,…
