According to family lore, my parents always just knew they were done after two babies. It was crystal clear from the moment my little sister was born: family complete. End of story. Throughout my own parenting journey, I’ve heard a similar refrain from other parents, usually uttered in a tone of outright certainty: I’m one and done. I’m two and through. Three…
Maybe it was the tickle of the breeze in my hair as I readied the soil for snap pea starts, or maybe it was the joyful ring of my daughters giggling as they splashed at the water table, their feet bare and their sweatshirts abandoned. Maybe it was the realization that our gloves have grown lonesome in their drawer for over a…
We headed out almost every day, no matter the weather. Our destination was always the same: the park at the end of our block. But the journey was always different. Some days, that walk would take us over an hour. Some days we actually never made it to the park at all, when a bad scrape or a temper tantrum got in our way. There was always something new to take in, like the tinkling sound emanating from a drain spout or the shiny curve of a worm upon the sidewalk.
People rarely say anything, but you can feel the atmosphere change when you arrive. Being a parent of young children is hard enough. Sometimes the additional weight of annoyed strangers can be too much to bear.
The thing is, parenting young children is not an intellectual exercise. It’s an often overwhelming exercise in constant empathy for a sometimes very difficult little person.
Probably the most important thing I’ve learned so far as a parent is to not worry so much about what my kids are doing. To realize that what I’m mostly doing here is giving them a safe place to unfold— not molding them.
I can be unrealistic sometimes when I plot out my hopes for the coming holiday season. Well-intentioned yet wildly unrealistic thoughts swirl around me.
Yes, I know that Washington state law allows a woman to nurse anywhere. And that is wonderful! But it doesn’t mean you’re comfortable whipping out your boob while sitting in a 10-top at Canlis, or behind home base at SafecoField (though more power to you if you do!), especially during the first few months. Now that I’m six years into…
I was only a few months along with baby #2 when I started looking for a bigger diaper bag. I ended up getting an “overnight” travel bag, and it was so massive that I kept it hooked to my double stroller at all times. That bag was epic – always full of snacks, diapers, water bottles, toys, changes of clothes and…
It’s alright, you can admit it: Once you have kids, sneaking out with your sweetie can seem like more trouble than it’s worth. Of course you know you need the break, some time together, a meal that someone else makes and cleans up, and that doesn’t involve a giant stack of napkins and profuse apologies to your server on your way out……