my story

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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Letter from Tennessee

May 5, 2010

In the last few months I’ve gotten several emails from women (and men) who found the blog and wrote in with their own stories. I love reading these stories but rarely share them. This one from a woman named Tammy in Tennessee was particularly touching to me. I decided to share it with you (with [...]

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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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My Lady Brain interview now available for your ears!

April 24, 2010

My interview with Lady Brain aired Monday on KUSF 90.3 FM in San Francisco. We talked about the perils of working and raising a family. I think I was supposed to give advice to working moms about how to avoid a nervous breakdown, but as you know, my credibility is a little suspect here… The [...]

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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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I’ll be on KUSF 90.3 FM at 7:30 pm tonight!

April 19, 2010

Last week I was interviewed by the dynamic duo at Lady Brain, the “most candid advice show on San Francisco radio.” We talked about–what else?–the perils of working and raising young children.

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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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If you give a mouse a Prozac…

Thumbnail image for If you give a mouse a Prozac… April 8, 2010

It is crazy to put women in impossible situations where they actually go crazy, and then act like there’s something wrong with them for going crazy.

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Uncle Peter’s theory

April 2, 2010

Meet my Uncle Peter. He’s a really cool guy who happens to be an employee rights lawyer in New York and has talked with more than a thousand women and men about their work lives over the course of his career. He has a theory about why conditions are so difficult for working moms.

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