To the Supermarket Cashier who Mom-Shamed Me

To the Supermarket Cashier who Mom-Shamed Me

Dear Supermarket Cashier,

Believe it or not I don't go to the grocery store for you to judge my parenting skills or question my toddler's abilities. I go there to check one very important thing off my to-do list: purchase food to feed my family.

It's typical for my public conversations with strangers to revolve around my toddler, so I didn't think much of it when the first thing you said as we approached, was, "How old are you?"

However, the next thing you said, after I told you that my daughter is 21 months old was, "You shouldn't have that in your mouth!" And that was not okay.

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A Shout Out to Adoptive Moms

A Shout Out to Adoptive Moms

Lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about how I have been unintentionally exclusive in some of my posts. I know it’s unreasonable to expect all moms (or even most moms) to identify with everything I write. But for some reason it has been bothering me that so many of my posts about motherhood involve some mention of carrying another human being inside me. While this might be how many of us became mothers, I know it is not a necessary part of motherhood. 

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Toddler: Or (A Parent's Terror of Fearlessness)

Toddler: Or (A Parent's Terror of Fearlessness)

Toddlers have no idea that they are mortal. They don't understand that danger is lurking around every sharp corner. In fact, they seem to seek out danger. If my toddler had access to a handful of arsenic and a cupful of bleach, I'm sure she would ingest it all and then look for some butcher's knives to juggle.

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8 Reasons I Still Feel Justified Calling it Baby Weight

8 Reasons I Still Feel Justified Calling it Baby Weight

My youngest child recently turned 18 months old. Meanwhile, I'm still carrying around about 10 extra pounds that I like to refer to as my "baby weight." At this point, I'm pretty sure it should more accurately be called "late-night-snacking weight." Or "I'm-almost-30-and-need-to-stop-eating-like-I'm-22 weight." But "baby weight" sounds a lot better. It sounds like it's not my fault.

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