The Indiana legislature claims it wants to protect unborn children and their parents. Last week Governor Mike Pence gave his blessing to a new bill aimed primarily at restricting abortion but also addressing miscarriage, explaining, “I sign this legislation with a prayer that God would continue to bless these precious children, mothers and families.” But knowing what I do about pregnancy and miscarriage, all I can see is increased pain and confusion in store for women who los

The year my second son was born, I went to work, and my husband stayed home. It was the most luxurious year of my life. In the mornings, I nursed my baby while my husband brought our older child to preschool. When he got back, I handed off the baby, said, “bye, Sweetie, see you later!” and enjoyed a quiet walk down to my office on the beautiful Wellesley campus. At noon, my whole crew trooped down to my office for me to nurse the baby again. I patted my beautiful little ones

“Cherish every moment!  It goes by so fast.” A well-meaning stranger admired my teeny tiny 3-week-old son, as we searched for baby wipes at the local drugstore.  Out on our first foray into an inhabited, public space, I was ready to defend my newborn against strangers’ germy fingers, but I had not been prepared for the free advice I might find just as difficult to handle.  I smiled thinly at the friendly stranger, and said, “uh huh!”  But I was thinking, “are you nuts?!  I’ve

The dentist peered in my child’s mouth, then turned to me. “Hey, Mom, you did a good job, no cavities!” I brought my kids for a check-up recently, and our wonderful pediatric dentist warmly complimented me. But why on earth did he call me that? And why did it irk me? Read the rest at Nursing Clio #parenting #mother #MomsRising #BettyFriedan #history #motherhood #mom #modern #PhilipWylie #mothering #RebeccaJoPlant #MommyBlogger #Lamaze #Victorian

In All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenting, Jennifer Senior asks why American middle-class parents so often find parenting intense beyond expectation, exhausting, anxiety-provoking, and not much fun, at the same time that they evaluate it to be the most rewarding and joy-producing aspect of their lives. Like many readers, I appreciated seeing myself and my struggles represented with compassion.  I have spent a number of years as a stay-at-home parent writing books