“I could have given in. I could have just walked with her back to the car. But I refused. And so we sat. And sat. And sat. For as long as it took for us to work things out. For her to work through her feelings. For me to keep in control of mine.”
‘I want to go home.’ Strong-willed, she wouldn’t budge. There we were, in the middle of a trail on a picture-perfect day for a walk.’: Mom urges ‘sit with them, so they know there’s someone who always will’
‘I looked down during my shower, bleary-eyed from yet another 4 a.m. wake up call, to a baby crawling between my legs and toys scattered between my wet feet.’: Burnt out mom urges ‘you don’t have to love every second’
“My 3-year-old sat chattering on the toilet I still need to scrub, while the shrieks of her siblings pierced the background. I had a laundry list of things running through my mind that needed to be accomplished and not a single clue how I was going to make it come to fruition. And I was weary.”
‘My daughter looks like she’s seen multiple ghosts. ‘It’s OK Toodleboot. Ignore your parents on the ceiling and that it sounds like the world is on fire. Just GO BACK TO SLEEP.’: Mom’s hilarious struggle with fire alarm
“All is well. All is quiet-ish. And I’m back in my bed, when from the far side of the house I hear… beep.”
‘They don’t deserve a dad who’s grumpy and frustrated before the day has begun. Don’t let your grown-up stress steal their childhood innocence.’: Man shares candid reality of being a stay-at-home dad
“It’s day 2 as a stay-at-home dad and I’ve already lost it. Actually, I lost it at day 1.5. I’m not cut out for this.”
‘Friends on white sandy beaches, enjoying a vacation you can’t go on for at least 5 years… I find myself thinking, ‘Why did I have kids?’: Mom shares her ‘WHY’ and says ‘it’s usually right in front of you’
“Those same friends are showing off their bikini bodies that haven’t changed since high school, while I chase after kids to separate, divert, and redirect. I grab plates of food from the table so they aren’t thrown next, and throw whatever bits of leftover nuggets or pizza on them into my mouth, as I hear my stomach growl from forgetting to make my own lunch.”
‘If you think you can get me to change this boundary, it’s not going to happen.’ Her face angry, she sulked off. I took a deep breath.’: Mom urges boundaries ‘protect us and others’
“‘This boundary will not move.’ She sulked off again. I figured we were in for another long day of boundary testing. This time, she came back after a bit.”
‘I read the books, watched the shows and talked to the seasoned moms. I realized a common thread. Kids are who they are, they all respond and act differently.’: Mom of 7 discusses ever-changing role of motherhood, what she’s learned over the years
“I want to raise good people, not perfect ones. I’m certainly not perfect so why should I expect my children to be? I use my own mistakes as an example for them. I apologize when I speak harshly and tell them even moms mess up. I want them to know if you are working on yourself and always trying to learn from the mistakes you make, that’s all that truly matters.”
