Adoption is a balance of many elements, a yin and yang of people and emotions. One mother’s greatest lost becomes another mother’s greatest gain. A child in pain and trauma leads to a child in a loving family. Adoption is not a fairy tale but it is my dream come true and I have spent my time in motherhood trying to find my balance in these conflicting truths.
Photo Credit: Richard Termine
It’s been 50 years since the first episode of Sesame Street aired on November 10, 1969. Its creators pioneered the idea of using television to build early-years literacy skills – and still be entertaining. The show was heavily researched and carefully constructed, using proven advertising techniques (such as repetition of short, zippy inserts) to build letter and number recognition. Every episode ended with harmonica music and a voice-over saying: “Sesame Street was brought to you today by the letter E and the number 5.”
Ten years ago, I was facing a major challenge to my fertility. During a procedure to remove what we thought was a cancerous mass on my left ovary, the surgeons removed the entire ovary and part of my Fallopian tube. The very good news was that I had endometriosis, not cancer. The bad news was the surgery would make it very difficult for me to get pregnant the old-fashioned way.
My kids have a sixth sense and seem to just know the moment the Halloween store at the mall has set up shop.
This past week, my son got a concussion at school. It was a Monday. We didn’t get to the hospital until Wednesday. It just wasn’t, I’ll admit, convenient for me.
The day my best friend called to tell me that her baby had died is etched into my memory. We’ve been friends since we were four years old – raised our Cabbage Patch Kids together, took the babysitting course side by side, and grew into young women who sometimes wondered what life might be like if we had kids of our own one day.
That horrible, heartbreaking day. It’s one you’ll never forget. It could have happened just last week, last month or even several years ago. No matter how long ago it happened, it still hurts, it still brings tears to your eyes, and yes…it still matters.
Getting your kids to all their practices, games, tournaments, competitions, lessons and meetings is one thing, but what about fueling them up with healthy food? When faced with the challenge of feeding my kids in the car on the way to that day’s scheduled extracurricular activities, I find myself wondering: “What on earth do other moms do?”
Here’s an admission: I had never even listened to a podcast when I decided to create my own podcast last spring. And now I’m obsessed!
Do you wage a daily battle when you try to dress your kids? Is it more of an all-out war? Put down that dinosaur sweatshirt because I’m here with good news. With a little bit of help, your kids can dress themselves. In fact, it’s good for them!