By Gretchen I was putting bagged groceries into the cart when my 4-year-old daughter ran up to me, sobbing. On that day, it was nothing new. She cried about all sorts of things during that shopping trip. It was the end of a long, demanding week and nerves were frayed. Most of her sadness could…
Author Archives: Gretchen
Is it 5:00 pm in the Hundred Acre Wood?
By Gretchen My two oldest children need your money. They plan to extract it from you by wooing you with homemade fliers advertising babysitting and leaf-raking services. One of my children promises to provide his own tools, which makes my husband laugh heartily and do a mental checklist of his tools’ whereabouts. I better not…
When Breast Equals Blush
By Gretchen I never thought I’d be self-conscious about breastfeeding in the privacy of my own home. There are no eye-rolling strangers. We don’t have tightly-spaced vinyl upholstered booths or utilitarian park benches where I am expected to wrangle baby and blanket. At home, I have comfy sitting spots and am surrounded by people who…
Honoring their instincts
By Gretchen “Mom?’ my child said in a small voice, ‘I don’t think you should eat the pie.” I was caught by surprise and asked why. My husband had bought the pie only minutes earlier, indulging one of my late-pregnancy cravings for something untimely and ridiculous. I was looking forward to strip-mining my key lime…