by Ellie Stoneley
Mother, Me & Hope
“Age is an issue of mind over matter. If you don’t mind, it doesn’t matter” – Mark Twain
I’ve been asked so many times what it feels like to be an ‘older Mother.’ It always strikes me as a silly question, really, it’s not as if I knew what it was like to be a younger mother. I am what I am, we are where we are and I am 48 1/2 with a 12 month old daughter… I am happy, blissfully happy, if a little tired most of the time. […]
by Douglas C.
You might think it unusual that I read parenting magazines; that I know women by their children’s names; and that most women who speak with me are grandmothers – around my own age! However, what you don’t know is that at age 52, I’m actually the mom (The Baby-Daddy) of the household – not what I expected to be at my age, but one that clearly enhances and supports my family unit. […]
by Valerie Gillies
“You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” – Jon Kabat-Zin
In the last few weeks, the why question has come up every day. It really is a foolish question. Honestly, outside of a scientific topic there is rarely a good answer for “Why?” If I could say why a vibrant, kind, friend succumbed to multiple myeloma last week, don’t I also need to know why the shell of a nasty ancient relative remains alive in a nursing home? This is complicated, and our hearts yearn for simple answers that we can wrap in tidy packages, secure with twine, and pack away, so that we can go on with our daily tasks without interruption. […]
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 fell off their plates?
I like to call this 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. And somehow, without question, everyone believes we’re just loopy enough to crave bone and gristle. After awhile, we even convince ourselves that those tiny scraps of meat buried between the ribs are worth the effort. […]
by Rosemary Lichtman Ph.D. and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D.
By now you’ve likely made your New Year’s resolutions or aligned your energy with your deepest intentions. Want to know the best way to stay on track? Keep a journal. This process can help you create a personal plan and develop the tools to actualize it. […]
by Casey Kochmer
The term Midlife Crisis brings up many images. In America, it brings up deriding images of a person buying a red sports car, daydreams of flings, broken marriages and people acting as a child again.
In reality, a Midlife Crisis represents a deeper possibility for a person to become their dreams. However, those dreams are hard to realize within an un-supportive society and without clear personal understanding of the actual experience. People often end up hurting themselves in the process of trying to change. A person’s life carries a lot of momentum from the past that tumbles them about heedlessly upon trying to change to be something new. […]
by Aleta St. James
Almost everyone starts off the first few weeks of a new year with great intentions and excitement, and then slowly but surely, the enthusiasm starts to wane. Sounds familiar, right?
You don’t have to have that happen this year. […]
by Maggie Lamond Simone
Image courtesy of http://beartoons.com
Dear Santa,
It’s that time of year again already, huh? Time sure flies when you’re having… well, menopause, spelling bees, and student council meetings. You’ll have to take my word on all counts, I’m guessing, but trust me. The times — and the moms — they are a’changin’. Heck, I could light up a Christmas tree without even plugging myself in! But that’s not why we’re here, is it? Let’s get down to business. […]
by Ellie Stoneley
The solemnity with which the two medical assistants entered the room, carrying the strange long floppy syringe as if it was the Holy Grail was almost laughable … apart from the fact that for me it was the Holy Grail. The embryo about to be transferred from the depths of the syringe into my waiting and perfectly prepared womb was the most precious most longed for mass of cells in the entire universe. […]
by Kathy Caprino
In my career and executive coaching, I work with hundreds of women each year going through major transitions. Recently, I was speaking with a fascinating client of mine — let’s call her “Carol” — who shared with me her views about midlife BEFORE she had arrived there, and then what happened when her 40s came. […]