Julia Pelly

Julia Pelly has a masters degree in public health and works full time in the field of positive youth development. In addition to Mother.ly, Julia's work has appeared on Vox.com, Glamour.com, NYT.com and many others. Julia lives in North Carolina with her husband and two young sons. You can find more of her work at Juliapelly.com.

Life

To the women who taught me how to be a mother—thank you

These women, open and generous, were unaware that their input was shaping my views on what it meant to be a mother. Their example, their work schedules, their parenting styles and reflections, helped me develop my own expectations and desires around motherhood. I listened to their advice and tucked it away, hoping that one day I would have the experience to understand what being someone's mom really felt like.

Baby

A simple note for a brand new mama

Oh mama, tonight is a very special night.

Life

Motherhood is: Sitting in the dark as your child learns to sleep on their own

Each night I spent at least 40 minutes waiting with him and, though it may not seem long, when you have just the few hours between his sleep and your own to prepare for the next day, standing still when there is so much to be done can seem painful.

Valentines Day

5 tasks you don’t have to do to be a good parent this Valentine’s Day

Your kids will have a great day no matter what, because there's a lot of love between you all—on Valentine's Day and every other day, too.

Parenting

No, having a baby didn’t ‘ruin’ my 20s

If life goes according to plan, I'll have one more when I'm 29 and, by 30, my husband and I will be selling car seats, hitting the tail end of diapers and settling into life as a minivan family.

Life

To the mama whose child is struggling at school, you are a good parent

Your child's struggles at school are not a reflection of your parenting.

Life

I’m ready to enjoy summer with my kiddo—the last one he’ll ever be this little

We'll eat the ice cream they scoop for us, get our hair wet in the pool with them, paint and craft alongside them and laugh at the jokes and silliness they surprise us with.