Navigating the Shock of Parenthood

Things are crazy right now. Even more crazy than typical American parenthood. I expect it will all settle down to “normal” once we have a good vaccine and actually get it out to everyone. Sometime in 2021, I suspect. Until then, some of you with young children are in a […]

So, we’ve lost our neighborhood-based communities. Friends and family are often scattered over large geographic areas. Our kid’s friends are also scattered, and many families move every few years. We’ve lost our village. In addition, our children have often lost the opportunity for free, unstructured, inventive play. Yet, this free […]

As parents of twins, my husband and I were routinely amazed by the site of infants, snuggled in car seats while their parents sat in a restaurant…at 9pm…long after baby bedtime! “How do they do it?” we’d wonder. Generally, the baby in question would be sleeping happily while mom and […]

I started fertility treatment at the age of thirty-nine, and was forty-five when our twins were born. Part way thru treatment, one of my doctors urged us to hurry and not waste time with treatments that had low probability of success. He was himself an older parent, and was warning […]

Ok, so I scared you all in the last post with my admonition to avoid having multiples. Oops, too late! You’re having your own gaggle of goslings. No namby pamby one at a time stuff for you! You’re gonna “get ‘er done” all in one! Woo, hoo! Well, truthfully, there […]

There are many books that help couples thru fertility treatment issues and logistics. I recommend getting an up-to-date book or two and learn the terminology, techniques and possibilities. Most clinics offer or require an orientation lecture so do that too. But if you find yourself deep in a struggle with […]

OK, I’ve revealed some of the “unspeakable” taboo truths about the “dark side” (cue Darth Vader breathing) of parenthood. Will you be giving up on the whole “having baby” project? I suspect not. The desire to have children is often blindingly strong. I certainly would have given these concerns little […]

CHAPTER 1 GROWING PAINS FOR GROWN UPS First a disclaimer. The beginning of this book may sound a bit dark. That’s just because I’m going to talk about many of the things that no one tells parents-to-be. But hang in there. I love being a Mom. I adore my kids. […]

There are so many things to consider when we become parents. Whether you’re starting off with one baby or twins or discovering the chaos that comes with adding a second infant to your life, we are often knocked completely off our feet by the radical change that a baby brings […]