by Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D., and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D
The “Sandwich Generation” is a term that has now made it into the dictionary. It fits an increasing number of Boomer women whose reality includes being squeezed between the demands of growing children and the needs of aging parents. […]
by Andrea Lynn
My Mother’s Day this year was a wonderful one. I had a dinner party playdate – three of my Single Mothers by Choice friends and their three children joined my girls and I for dinner and play, under the blue skies and leafy green canopy of my back deck. There is nothing like spending this particular day among women who almost didn’t get to be mothers to make it all the more special. […]
by Peg O'Neill, M.D.
Mother’s Day was a little different for me this year. During my past decade-plus of Mother’s Days, my general approach, similar to that of many of us who wear these shoes, has been that this is a day for my children and husband to appreciate me. But this year, I decided that I needed to mix it up a little bit. […]
by Rachel Snyder
The journey of mothering is like no other
and it’s all too easy to get lost in it.
Right now, set a conscious intention
to carry every bit of who you are into your role as a mother.
Promise yourself that you will embrace your shortcomings and your missteps
and will never beat yourself up for doing the very best you can.
Once you settle into being your authentic self,
you cannot help but become a one-of-a-kind, original, remarkable mom.
Don’t compare yourself with any other mother you know,
including your own.
Your genuine mothering path will have a feel and flavor and tone
that are yours and yours alone
and it just may open you up in new and unexpected ways.
You may be happy and sad – all in the same day.
You may find yourself more creative, more expressive, more loving.
Other times you might feel angry and sometimes, yes,
you may very well be afraid.
Take these opportunities to know yourself more deeply.
Consider what feels right for you
as well as for your child.
To revel in being a mother,
you must first celebrate the unique and beautiful individual
that you are and always have been.
by Valerie Gillies
“The life of a mother is the life of a child: you are two blossoms on a single branch” – Karen Maezen Miller, Momma Zen: Walking the Crooked Path of Motherhood
I’m heading out on a road trip tomorrow—a real, week-long one that will take me halfway across this country. Never have done anything like this before. But there’s the matter of this dress, and this young woman who needs to get her car to Houston, and her compulsive mom who has an obsession with putting things in order before she lets go of them. This is hard stuff, much more difficult than I could have imagined, yet somehow exhilarating. Like jumping of a cliff. […]
by Cyma Shapiro
I wrote this blog post a few years ago for MotherhoodLater, and reprinted it last year. This year, I’ve decided to run it again. In fact, I may make this an annual occasion. I’ve also decided to reprint the older photo of my stepson’s first real Mother’s Day present to me – flowers – as a backdrop for this – a reminder of how being a mother to my four children (in two generations) has truly made me happy and proud.
It’s amazing how one year can change things; how motherhood makes us forget what happened when our children were younger or youngest; how they came into our lives and what changes we needed to make once they were here. I can honestly say that I am nearly fully comfortable in my Motherhood-clothes, a role that I played well in the beginning, but one that I now don each day with ease in the same way that I donned singlehood for many, many years. I won’t say that there aren’t days I wish I could wake up, yawn, and go down for coffee all on my own time, my own rhythm. I will say, however, that I’m the happiest that I’ve ever been – now that I have children. […]
by Rosemary Lichtman Ph.D. and Phyllis Goldberg Ph.D
Sending flowers, candy and greeting cards are de rigueur for mom on Mother’s Day but, as members of the Baby Boomer generation, we recognize that what your aging mother really wants on her special day is to feel nurtured. […]
by Jane D. Samuel
“Can you imagine that someone just threw her away?”
Seven years later, these words are still as sharp and wrong as the day they were innocently uttered. Carrying our youngest daughter into church that day, I did not turn around to see who said them. It did not matter.
Though I have been known to set a few folks straight about China’s one-child policy and its subsequent boom in international adoption, this time I chose to let it pass. It was Easter Vigil and our daughter’s day – she was being marked by baptism as Christ’s own forever. And she was ours forever. […]
by Phyllis Goldberg Ph.D. and Rosemary Lichtman Ph.D.
For families, June is a busy time with graduation parties, little league championships and music recitals. And we all know that right around the corner is summer vacation – lazy days for kids but often stressful for working parents. So if you haven’t nailed down your plans yet, here are some ideas that can help with your work/life balance:
Stay flexible. To minimize your anxiety and maximize time with your kids, try to negotiate a flexible work schedule. Even if you only take the odd morning off or leave early once in a while, find someone to cover for you. Downtime to rejuvenate is important for you and for the wellbeing of your family. […]
by Andrea Lynn
My daughter has become fascinated by health – good and bad – since she turned 4. Four is a year for discussions about death and sex, I’ve been warned by friends. It’s been true, so far, but far more interesting than either is health – what is good for us, what is bad for us. Her fascination with exercise, healthy eating and the horrors of smoking, among other things, is fodder for daily discussion. And while I’m all for healthy discussion about nearly anything, the talk of health hits me just as I’m occasionally starting to feel old. Or not old, exactly, but a little tired. […]