Tag: identity
My Daughter, My First Blood Relative
My daughter — our only child so far — recently turned two. Not only was it a time to celebrate her two wonderful years,...
Say My Name – And If You Can’t Pronounce It, Just...
All my life, people have mispronounced my name. Teachers, nurses, doctors, coffeeshop baristas, restaurants hosts and hostesses, co-workers, parents of my friends, parents of...
The Task of Finding Myself Again
Summer is waning, the masks are off, and Target is filling up with pencils and crayons and backpacks. As I think about my kids...
Naming a Child is Hard and Special
Naming a child is a special responsibility not to be taken lightly. I definitely felt some pressure with that, but it comes with the...
Using Correct Pronouns Matters
They. Them.
Those familiar pronouns have been part of my vocabulary for many years. And for almost all those years, these words have been plural...
How Learning my Enneagram Number Changed How I Mother
So what is all the buzz with the Enneagram? The enea... .whatta? Yes, I was a little confused when everyone started asking me what...
Getting Reacquainted with My Pre-Mom Self
Last year I was visiting my mom, and she asked me what I had been up to. I immediately launched into a description of...
The Significance of the Hyphen to a Single Mom
Nearly 14 years ago I was presented with a classic female problem: Should I change my last name? I was 22, about to marry...
Sorry About That Last Name, Kids!
Alright kids, now that you’ve perfected spelling your first names with most of the letters facing the right direction, I’ve got some bad news....
I Stopped Being a Mom and Found Myself
Let me begin by saying all the things that I feel obligated to say—yes, I love my children. Yes, I love being a mom....
Strong as Steel
I can do a pull up. A full, real deal, no-cheats pull up. It took me 32 years, one Amazon Prime pull up bar...
Finding Myself Again
All at once, everything crashed. My adrenaline wore off, the baby was here to stay, nobody in the house slept through the night in...
Why I Keep My Maiden Name
"Mrs. Collins!”
My son’s friend had to yell in my direction at least three times before he caught my attention. I was caught off guard....
The Name Game: Why Naming a Baby is Hard Work
I'm currently 32 weeks into my third pregnancy, and I have no clue what we're going to name this baby.
Not. A. Clue.
I wish I...
Baby Naming: Strategies, Bargaining, and What to Do When You Don’t...
Naming a baby is kind of a big deal.
In grade school, I remember paging through the ancient baby name book my mom had purchased...
