Motherly Stories

Words of encouragement when IVF doesn’t work—from someone who is there, too

Sometimes things don’t make sense and today we are just trying to figure out how to deal with that.

My 10-year-old daughter asked if she was fat, and it gutted me

I looked my daughter right in her sweet little eyes and told her what I wish I’d known at a much younger age: the truth.

To the worried mama whose child won’t eat enough—let go of expectations

By tossing out most of my expectations about food and doing whatever it took to help us achieve our primary goal, we were finally getting somewhere.

Breastfeeding is a marathon—and women’s bodies pay the price

We love our babies more than anything, and sometimes we feel like we have to sacrifice ourselves in order to prove our devotion.

Having a second baby healed me

I couldn’t have known it then, but the choice to grow our family was the ultimate act of optimism and reclamation.

My son chose pink and purple shoes—and I let him buy them

There are many parenting moments which have caught me off guard. This was one of them.

In the future, our kids may not remember this, but we will

I'll remember holding your hand as you took your first steps. Away from me. Towards the world.

Airplane mode can soothe toddler tantrums—yes, really

He doesn’t need to yell so much now that he knows I'm there. Ready and present.

To my child, when I forget to feel lucky

My life could have gone in a hundred different directions. Instead, here I am, getting to be with you.

How to know when to quit youth sports—from a family therapist

I empower my daughter to play hard, give it her best, learn from her mistakes, and above all, know when to quit.

Letter to a harried mom—it gets better

When I suggested you would miss this time of your life someday, you didn’t seem convinced.

The magic of grown up love letters

Our love grew messier but deeper.

To the mama with low milk supply: You are resilient and more than enough

It was only after I had made peace with no longer breastfeeding my son, that the right tools fell into my lap and the milk began to flow. After many months of striving, I could finally exhale.

What would you do for your kids?

The lengths to which I would go to protect my children are limitless.

Nobody warned me that I’d love being pregnant

I have never felt more empowered, powerful and confident in my own skin.

My daughter is learning to overcome perfection—through tie-dye

Relaxed as I try to be around her, her own mind takes her in this direction, just like my own mind tends to do the same.

My frozen embryos are not children

I don’t know when my husband and I will be ready to make a decision about our frozen embryos, but it is a deeply personal one that we should be able to make without the government’s interference and without fear of legal repercussions.

Milk, tears and mastitis paranoia: Hazy adventures in early breastfeeding

I think you must be what Rumi was writing about—“the universe in ecstatic motion.”

Childhood is making magic out of everyday rituals

Dear mama, my childhood was a beautiful one and I know you gave me so much of what you had not.

Can we bring back old school birthday parties, please?

I love birthdays. I do not love the pressure to create some kind of over-the-top birthday euphoria.