Thoughts On Mother’s Day
If there’s one thing I’m learning about motherhood, it’s that it’s a constant game of comparisons. I wouldn’t be asking myself “Am I doing this right?” so often if there weren’t so many agents out there reminding us that there IS a wrong (and a right) way to “do” motherhood. Of course, if you ask my husband, my mom, or my close friends, they’ll probably roll their eyes and pat me on the shoulder with that “you adorable idiot, you” face and remind me that I’m doing just fine. Then they’ll rip into a rant about the hundreds of people in this world legitimately fucking up their kids. So far, my kid isn’t dying of starvation or exposure, so, according to them, I seem to be nailing some things.
Others things? Other things not so much.
They might as well hand you a kit to deal with all the mom guilt you’ll be having when you leave the hospital. Here you are ma’am: your formula samples, your adult diapers, and ah yes, your Guilt Belt. Be sure to wear this every day for the rest of your life or you won’t be a real mother. Oh, chin up, lass, it’s not so bad! Everyone else is wearing one, too! What’s wrong? Are you already feeling bad about what the next eighteen years are going to look like even though your kid is only hours old? Ah then, wonderful! It’s working already and it’s not even on you!
First Time Colds
It's Friday, which means I can finally admit this has been a hell of a week. Last week at this time, I was salivating over the thought of a whole fried fish and maybe some fried plantains for dinner. Later on that same night, I was cradling my feverish baby in my arms in a rocking chair in the dark.
Two different friends of mine both let me know this week that they were being biopsied for cancer. It was all terrible and scary. I can't tell what was more depressing: that my friends have possible diagnoses, or that I've come to expect these phonecalls and emails with a certain regularity as I get older.
Announcements!
You guys, I'm going to be part of this national storytelling event in May called Listen To Your Mother. LTYM is sort of like the Moth, but all about moms, which is not nearly as Hallmark card-y as I am making it sound. There will be no sixteen-inch rises on acid washed denim or "Live, Love, Laugh" painted on driftwood, just good old fashioned stories about sex, drugs, and motherhood. Emphasis on the motherhood part, probably, but, hey, you never know.
Shout Out To My Fellow Hoarder Decorator
I can’t even remember how I stumbled upon this blog years ago, but holy smokes, what I do remember is not being able to get enough of it. I sat in my darkened office long after Burdy had gone to bed and crammed my guffaws into my sweater sleeve so as not to wake him. The next morning, Burdy asked me what was so important that I had to stay up half the night hunched over my computer screen.
A Case of Myopia Writ Large
Oh, hey! It's been a while, huh?
Like, nine whole months? Yeah. Nine months. A lot can happen in nine months. Niiiiine months.
Yeah, so I have a baby now, everyone. Surprise! World's worst baby announcement right there, folks.
I didn't mean to time it this way or anything. It's just that I've had a grand kick in the ass recently (a life-affirming, HELL YES kick in the ass) and it prompted me to wipe the dust off this blog and start writing here again. So here we are, all new and shiny and old at once.