mothers over 50 Archives - Page 4 of 7 - Mothering in the Middle

Nine Tips On How to Prepare For (New Older) Mothering Over 40, 45 and 50!

by Cyma Shapiro

Photo by Shana Sureck

You are so happy! You see the finish line before you and are racing toward new older motherhood with joy and trepidation. However, you haven’t thought out the rest of this journey. In fact, I’ll bet that you haven’t thought much past the blessed event.

Whether you are marrying into a family with children, are adopting, fostering, having children through a surrogate, undergoing natural childbirth or IVF, or becoming a guardian, the end result may be the same.

Here are nine tips for planning in advance:

1) Shore up your support team – whether it is friends, family, a therapist or support group. You are about to be embark on the ride of your life. Having cheerleaders around you cannot hurt. […]

Managing, Not Marking Time

by Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D., and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D.

Do you sometimes feel like time is getting away from you? I make list after list of what I want to accomplish each day – and often get a large chunk completed – but never seem to get everything done. Now that I make my lists on my PDA, it’s easier to just change the date and roll the reminders over to the next day. Yet the sense of satisfaction that I feel when I do finish a project is a great motivator to become more focused so that I can attain more of my goals each day. […]

November

by Maggie Lamond Simone

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. […]

If This Is October, Then It Must Be…

by Maggie Lamond Simone

Well, kids, I’m here to report that we’re lifting the lid on “Toilet Repair Month.” I know, I know, I’m sort of down in the dumps about it too; just when you think you could overflow with excitement about summer, there it goes, swirling away. May it rust – er, rest – in peace.

Yep, October received that very special designation by – come on, now, be creative here – yes! Manufacturers of toilet parts! They’ve finally conceded what I’ve always recognized as an epidemic problem, i.e. the reckless abandon with which people flush other people’s toilets during the Halloween season. It was just a matter of time, really. […]

New Midlife Mothers Needed

by John Simmons

Julia, Marina, Sarah reunion

Next to my wife, I have a favorite midlife mother. We don’t share a language, religion, political views or even a continent. The things we have in common are our daughters, who were once sisters-of-circumstance at the Partizansk Children’s Home. Though we have only spoken on a couple of occasions, Natalia and I consider each other to be true friends; friends who can relate to a long and rocky road that we would travel again in a heartbeat. […]

Parenting After Weiner-gate: Talking to Your Kids About Lying

by Rosemary Lichtman, Ph.D., and Phyllis Goldberg, Ph.D.

Anthony Weiner is no longer front-page news now that he has again been disgraced by his behavior. As a parent what can you make from Weinergate, that perfect storm mix of politics, power, sexting and lying?

The media frenzy over the ex-Congressman’s behavior provides a clear teachable moment for our teens. Given the dramatic effects of the inappropriate messages and photos he sent and the devastating results of his untruthful words, we can talk to our kids about the serious consequences of making bad decisions. […]

A Child of My Own

by Michelle Eisler

I was walking through an antique store and a lady approached me to say how adorable my daughter was and, that now that I had adopted, I would get pregnant and have a child of my ‘own.’ I had not met her, spoken to her about my road to adoption, or about infertility and if it played a role in my world. But she continued to tell me her friend had finally given up and adopted, and then she got pregnant. […]

Peering Over the Cliff at Midlife (Reflections On Turning 50)

by Jane Samuel

Many times over the past twenty months of caring for my parents I have dwelt on dark thoughts. Thoughts that most my age don’t want to acknowledge, much less linger over, bring out and share around like some bit of news on the latest medical breakthrough for cancer, worn out knees, lost hearing or broken teeth.

Many of my friends, a generation of women who came later in life to motherhood for whatever reasons are too busy running carpool, arranging play-dates or perhaps even changing diapers to probably think like I was. Life is full, life is long, life is good so why peak behind the curtain that separates us from old age, and all that comes with it? […]

Grace, Under Pressure: A Girl with Asperger’s and her Marathon Mom

by Sophie Walker

Those early days of training were excruciating and monotonous and humbling. I often felt overwhelmed as I fought to organize time to do it among work and the children and the daily chores. But it was also the best thing that had ever happened to me. I had a sense of purpose and achievement and a project to be proud of that was mine.

Then somewhere in the weeks around Christmas that changed. I stopped running and I stopped writing about it — by now my blog about life with Grace had attracted a decent number of regular readers. It would be easy to say that it was simply due to the busy time of year, but the break was less to do with the busyness of family activities — the tending to clamoring, hyped-up children that makes the Christmas holiday so particularly unrestful — and more to do with a sudden queasiness that descended whenever I contemplated either activity. […]