Jen O'Rourke
Jen is a mom, child psychotherapist, and parent educator. She spent 12 years in Los Angeles building her career and family before moving back to her home state of Indiana. Jen currently lives in Zionsville with her husband, 3 year old son, and 7 month old daughter. She spends most of her free time reheating the same cup of coffee and looking for her car keys.
Barbie: Why I Took My Kids to See It and How We Talked All...
Against the recommendations of many local Facebook mommy groups, I took my seven-year-old son and five-year-old daughter to see the Barbie movie. I searched high and low but couldn’t find anyone saying it was...
Looking for a Therapist for Your Kid? Yep, So Is Everyone Else.
Today I got on the phone and made a list of five parents to call back and tell them I don't have availability to see their kids for therapy. I almost pray that I...
In Defense Of The Bad Kid
Last month my daughter came home from preschool telling me about a little boy named Charlie* who ate all the classroom snacks, and so there was no snack for the rest of the class....
Combating Seasonal Affective Disorder
I absolutely love the onset of fall, and even as winter rolls in, I can appreciate the fun of snow and the joy around the holidays. What I do not love are the months...
Life Lessons Learned After Going Viral on TikTok
I’ve been in love with TikTok since the beginning of 2020. At first, I started just watching funny videos and dance trends, and then I slowly came to see that there were professionals out...
Embracing the Messy: Why I Won’t Be Trying to Get More Organized in 2022
I have spent countless January 1sts making resolutions to be more organized. I’d go out shopping and spend an obscene amount at the container store, envisioning how life-changing those clear pantry containers would be...
Knowing My Limits: Deciding Not to Have a Third Baby
Upon getting engaged to my now husband, we talked about so many plans for the future. Of course, we talked about how many kids we wanted, and we agreed three or four would be...
Pet Euthanasia Guilt: The Feeling I Didn’t Expect to Feel
Our 12-year-old pet dog Eddie was having more and more accidents by the week. And I’ll be honest, I was not happy to be cleaning up more messes in the house when I already...
This Summer I Was a Fun Mom
We are headed back to school in a few days, and as I sit here thinking about the summer, I’m feeling all the feels. You see, I’ve often been a mom who believes in...
Childhood Anxiety: Parents Aren’t the Cause but They Are the Solution
I’m a psychotherapist and I get multiple calls each week from parents of anxious children. These parents are desperate to help their children “get rid of” their childhood anxiety or learn to cope with...
It’s Margarita Season!
Having spent almost 12 years in southern California, I’ve had my fair share of Mexican food and became quite the margarita connoisseur. Since moving to Indianapolis, I’ve had to adopt the margarita as my...
Consigning Kids Clothes: The Konmari Way
My husband and I recently decided we are done having kids so I realized I had to do something about the 987 bins of maternity, baby, and kid’s clothes. I am just not a...
Five Easy Recipes for Your Drink Frother
This year was full of plenty of socially distant secret Santa exchanges. But during one particularly amazing gift exchange (our Indianapolis Moms Contributors) I was gifted a handheld electric drink whisker! I was pretty...
The Baby Years Are Slowly Slipping Away
This morning I sat in the dark with my 2.5-year-old daughter rocking her slowly in a big comfy chair while feeling her warm cheeks against my chest as we both got a slow start...