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Like Pregnant Kate Middleton, I Had Hyperemesis — And I Considered Abortion Because Of It

I wanted to weep for her. More »

Since Hurricane Sandy, I’ve Had The Joy Of Parenting Without Solid Power

I was fine—really, God dammit all we did was lose power temporarily—but by mid-week my “fine” turned into “What the fuck?!” So the kids learned a new word through all of this. More »

I Try To Limit Video Games In My House (Even Though I Hope My Kid Will Be The Next George Lucas)

I have dreams that my kid will be the next George Lucas or a spectacular Lego designer. That I’ll visit him at Skywalker Ranch where only people with wide ranging Star Wars vocabulary (Do you know what a Rancor is?) have a special key. Or maybe he’ll land in a creative position at some major gaming company. More »

I’m Trying Really Hard To Raise A Feminist Son

I’ve recently discovered that the feminist mantras I’ve been teaching my son are becoming slowly undone. All the years of warning him not to underestimate princesses because they might surprise you with a blaster gun like Princess Leia, as well as all those nights singing Annie Oakley’s theme “Anything You Can Do, I Can Do Better,” have lately felt like they’ve been taught in vain. More »

Labor Pains: My Natural Birth Made Me Appreciate My Epidural

I was never against the drugs. Drugs, I thought, were for other people. For people who could tolerate long needles shoved up their spinal cords. For people who didn’t mind being confined to a bed. I didn’t have something to prove when I opted for a natural birth—I was just deeply afraid of doctor intervention. Now, I know this makes little sense when comparing the level of pain one endures during the dreaded ring of fire—the agonizing sensation that occurs when your baby stretches your vagina to its capacity—but there is a difference between the fear of the unknown and the fear of needles.

I opted for the unknown. More »

Back To School Week: My Son’s First Day Of School Felt Like My First Day Of School

I had never been good at first days of anything. I was the kind of kid who waded around a circle of kids, a lot like you do before immersing yourself in a cold pool. But my son, at five … More »

Don’t Tell Your Daughters, But Eventually We All Need Makeup

Donâ��t Tell Your Daughters, But Eventually We All Need Makeup

My 3-year-old daughter has reached the age of wanting to dabble in beauty products, which means most of the time she just wants to smear red lipstick all over her face like Diane Ladd in Wild At Heart. But when she’s not demolishing my lipstick, she’s become fascinated in the meaning of makeup. As in, Why does Mommy wear makeup? What is makeup for? And most importantly, Can I wear makeup too, please?

I fumbled with her line of questioning, mostly because I’m not a daily makeup wearer. I only started wearing makeup more regularly in the past few years since turning 41, when my anxiety-provoking, unchartered vanity issues have turned into daily battles. More »

Are You To Blame If Your Kid Is A Bully?

With new reports out of Sweden showing that bullying has long-term effects on a person’s health — girls are in an even higher-risk category than boys — it makes sense that a former Australian judge’s finger-wagging recommendation to hold parents accountable might be the next step in anti-bullying measures. More »