Tag: mental health
Overcoming Peter Pan Syndrome
Age is a fact of life, but the journey is more dramatic for women. Our whole lives, we've been warned about the horrors of...
Expectations and Mom Guilt
Recently, I finished a phenomenal book. Let me set the scene: a mother witnesses her teenage son kill a stranger outside their home. The...
The Trauma of Attempted Suicide
This blog post discusses topics related to suicide, which may be distressing for some readers. If you or someone you know is struggling, please...
Banning Books and Changing Names: Hot Topics in Education
I firmly believe that everyone is entitled to their own opinions, and if we try to learn from the perspective of others, maybe we...
Modeling Resilience is Hard Work
As an elementary resource teacher, I reference the term “growth mindset” daily. Encouraging my students to embrace challenges and persevere through difficulties is a...
One “Diet” to Try After Baby: Feed Yourself With Feel-Good Movies
My oldest son was born in early February 2020. A blissful seven or so weeks before the world shut down due to the Covid-19...
Motherhood: The Job with Delayed Gratitude
As I reflected on my journey through motherhood, one thing became abundantly clear—it's a job with delayed gratitude. The sacrifices, sleepless nights, endless worry,...
Anxiety Hits Motherhood: A Personal Reflection
I've lived with my anxiety for so long that it mostly feels normal to me. But motherhood offers endless opportunities for unhinged anxiety to...
The Speech Therapist Who Saved My Life
It was December 2015. Our family moved from Florida to Grand Rapids, Michigan in the Spring. In mid-November, I gave birth to my second...
My Teenager’s Recent Autism Diagnosis
There's a Facebook video of my daughter Jody that went viral in our friend circle. She was three years old and on a ride...
Moms Under Pressure
Somewhere in my youth, I must have believed that there was an actual "supermom" gene that fueled other moms but skipped me. As I...
Struggling with the ADHD Medication Shortage
This week alone, I have played phone tag with numerous pharmacies, my doctor’s office, and our insurance company in search of one thing: the...
Grief: I Did it. I Leaned in!
My dog died.
Patches was 15. She gave me joy. She was sweet. She fit our family perfectly. She needed us. I needed her. And...
Battling Decision Fatigue
I remember recently sitting at a restaurant one evening and staring at the menu, feeling foggy and unsure of what to order. I smiled...