When you are a parent, you fear the breakdown – that moment where the wheels come off the wagon. And, if you are very unlucky, this moment occurs in a public place.
Month: May 2016
Elusive Icing on the Cake
You haven’t really lived as a mother until you have survived your first mommy-shaming birthday party. What does one look like, you may ask. Allow me to offer a few examples of what you might hear:
“Oh, yes, we only use bamboo and wool diapers.”
“Does your child attend the Jewish Montessori preschool?”
“No sugar or food dye for our son!”
The Hands of a Bully
…are small, even childlike, but they hold great weight: my fragile son.
At a churchwide picnic earlier this week, my heart dropped when I saw my son’s body, seemingly lifeless, fall through the air. I was making friendly parent conversation and my favorite toddler, up until that moment, was enjoying adventures on a large inflatable.
Somewhere in the endless plastic, my son cried out for me. When I finally extracted him from the bottom of the partially deflated slide, I embraced a trembling shell of my little boy.
Grate Expectations
I have a confession: I hate cooking. Really, I make a terrible Southern woman.
When I met my husband, his culinary expertise immediately hooked me. After our first food-inspired date night, I wanted to try my hand at chocolate fondue. I am quite good at following recipes, so I added a few ingredients to create the perfect luscious sauce. Only it was a disaster. And somehow it didn’t even taste like chocolate.
The Dance of Innocence
Last Friday, I went on my first date with another man: my son. Several weeks ago, I learned of a local mother-son dance, and I couldn’t pass on the opportunity to watch my toddler thrash to fun music.
Well, at least this is how I envisioned our night would look. Continue reading “The Dance of Innocence”
Oh, the Decisions You’ll Make!
Decisions can be suffocating – much like graduation robes. In May 2006, I pondered this exact thought as I walked across a very long stage. College was over, and finally my life would fall into place.
I would attend graduate school and pursue a career in education. I would marry a good Christian man who was well on his way to becoming a doctor. We would have two children, and I would perfectly balance motherhood and my career.
Little did I know that in a few short years, I would lose it all – the teaching career, the doctor, and the guarantee of motherhood. Continue reading “Oh, the Decisions You’ll Make!”
