mothers

Minivan rap

August 20, 2010

I drive a minivan. There. I’ve said it. Maybe you think that’s not cool. I’ll try not to hold that against you. I happen to think that SUVs, which are less fuel-efficient than my minivan, aren’t cool. I hope we can still be friends. Toyota has come out with this video (“Swagger Wagon”), proving that [...]

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Who clips the nails? (Part III. Why it’s not fair)

Thumbnail image for Who clips the nails? (Part III. Why it’s not fair) July 20, 2010

This is part of a series of posts about how working couples share the under-the-radar chores that, taken together, represent the “psychic burden” of raising children. Be sure to read these parts first: Part I. Survey results Part II. Why it’s fair My last post looked at why half of the parents surveyed felt they [...]

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Who clips the nails? (Part II. Why it’s fair)

Thumbnail image for Who clips the nails? (Part II. Why it’s fair) July 19, 2010

This is part of a series of posts about how working couples share the under-the-radar chores that, taken together, represent the “psychic burden” of raising a family. Part. I is here. Working moms are bearing more (sometimes much more) of the “psychic burden” of parenting than working dads. Yet, when asked in my recent survey, [...]

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Divas, madonnas, and working mamas

Thumbnail image for Divas, madonnas, and working mamas May 14, 2010

The other day I saw Jennifer Siebel Newsom, the First Lady of San Francisco, speak at the Commonwealth Club about women and the media. She’s producing a very ambitious documentary called “Miss Representation,” about how the media under-represents women in positions of power and influence. She showed a short clip of the film, which included [...]

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A mother of a day

Thumbnail image for A mother of a day May 11, 2010

I had a truly crappy Mother’s Day this year. I think Anna Jarvis would understand. Inspired by her own mother’s life, she started a campaign in 1907 to recognize mothers for their contribution to society. She was successful in making Mother’s Day a national holiday, but then spent the rest of her life fighting its [...]

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Book: “it sucked and then i cried”

Thumbnail image for Book: “it sucked and then i cried” April 28, 2010

I have heard from dozens of women over the last year who had some version of a nervous breakdown while working and raising kids, or came very close to one. Some were already friends. Others I met through the blog. There are a lot of us out there. But so far, no one has written [...]

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Thank you

April 20, 2010

Exactly one year ago today, I went home sick from work and I never went back….Every mother I know has the same fear. Every one of us is haunted, at one time or another, by the burden we carry and believe we carry alone. If we had to stop, it seems like the world would stop…

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Rebecca’s Spring Break (Part II.)

April 16, 2010

“So we’re getting ready to go. I sit down with Ella to brush her hair, and that’s when I see two nits.”

“That’s too much!” I said. “The cough with the peeing. The foot surgery. The whale watching fiasco. And then lice?…It’s unreal…Can you turn your head a little?”

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Rebecca’s Spring Break (Part I.)

April 15, 2010

My friend Rebecca called as I was dropping my son at preschool.

“Um, are you doing anything right now?” she asked. “Can you come check my head for lice? I don’t think I have it, but Ella does.”

“I’ll be right over,” I said.

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Mothers and the rat race

Thumbnail image for Mothers and the rat race April 12, 2010

Do you ever feel like being a parent has turned you into an expert multitasker? It probably has. According to studies of mother rats…

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