admin, Author at Mothering in the Middle

When Shift Happens At Midlife

by Lisa Froman

NEVER IN LIFE is there a need to call on the power of grace and humility more than at midlife. As we take measure of our lives, we can find ourselves dismayed, discouraged and disillusioned to find our lives simply no longer fit us. All that we thought we were, no longer makes sense. Suddenly, we don’t fit in our own skin, never mind our own clothes. We look in the mirror and see faces, even bodies, we no longer recognize.

At midlife, many of us begin to feel a shift, or an unearthing, as I like to call it. Our jobs may or may no longer interest us in the same way, our relationships with our spouses or partners may have shifted —for better or worse—or even ended. […]

November

by Maggie Lamond Simone

Trick or Truth

by Wendy Sue Noah

It’s Halloween time! And, oh, how my kids love this holiday. It is a time for them to be as creative as possible with their costumes, have fun surprising people (who is really behind that costume?) and being scared at our town’s annual haunted house.

Though us adults get dressed up sometimes, it is mostly a kid- holiday. In some ways, more significantly, adults celebrate the concept of Halloween year-round. What do I mean by that? […]

The Chicken Back Syndrome

by Ann Sheybani

When did we women decide that everyone else should come first? Who proclaimed it our job to guarantee the pleasure of others and settle for whatever crumbs fall off their plates?

I’ve come to call this compulsion the Chicken Back Syndrome: preparing a chicken dinner, encouraging our husbands and children to take the best pieces—the breast, thighs and legs—and insisting that we actually like the chicken back best. Somehow, without question, everyone believes we’re just crazy enough to prefer bones and gristle. After awhile, we even convince ourselves that those tiny scraps of meat buried between the ribs are worth the effort. […]

Not Feeling My Age

by Andrea Lynn

Both my girls are in school now – preschool and kindergarten – and so that means a lot of birthday parties. We’re doing the tour of local play places and bounce houses and community centers with rooms to rent, and so every weekend it seems I’m on the sidelines with my fellow parents, making small talk while the kids race around, high on birthday cake or soon to be. […]

I Do Not Own My Own Life Anymore (Commentary by Mr. Mom)

by Marc Parsont

I do not own my life anymore. I drive to soccer. I drive to karate. I drive to school. I drive to the doctor’s office—frequently. I drive to fix the cars that drive the kids to soccer, karate, ballet and yoga.

I drive to the grocery store. I drive to the grocery store. I drive to the grocery store again.

I am being driven insane. […]

Becoming a Mother: A Journey of Healing

by Amy Wright Glenn

What does it mean to heal the heart?

Take 9 minutes to learn about my journey to motherhood, a journey of potent and healing love. For me, becoming a mother entailed a true healing from a painful “mother wound.”

May my story inspire you to reflect upon the transformative power of love.

www.anymeeting.com/amywrightglenn/EE54D7898947

Yes, You Can

by Sophie Walker

To begin this article with a confession: when it comes to your child, I don’t know what I’m talking about.

Because I have written a book about my child, who has Asperger’s Syndrome, I am often asked to suggest advice to parents in similar situations. And I’m always really happy to do so because I know from experience how hard it can be to find the right kind of support. […]

Questions

by Austin Wimberly

As a parent, I am used to my children asking questions. Thankfully, most of the ones they ask are easily answered. What’s for dessert? Usually ice cream. Can I stay up just a little longer? Usually no. What is the capital of Wyoming? Always Cheyenne.

But there are some questions that my children ask that require more thought. Why is a negative times a negative a positive? How do I know I’m really me? Why are flowers pretty? And then there are questions that have no answer. It is this last kind of question that has been with my family for a decade. […]

Cyma Shapiro Interviews Photographer Dave Engledow

In 2010, after the birth of his daughter, Alice Bee, (midlife father and) photographer Dave Engledow set out to capture her in a variety of humorous situations. Placing only the two of them in the photos, he created a series of vignettes which allowed him to express his (many varied) emotions at being a first-time dad, while documenting the growth of his daughter. He hoped this collection would be his gift to her, as an adult. […]

About admin