My daughter turned five years old this week. I am now a five-year-old-mother of one. Big Five <3. I’ve been thinking a lot about the fact that this is the age when children’s brains are developed enough to start creating… Read More ›
parenting
Feminist Parenting, Part 2 — What are Children? Are Children Human? by Trelawney Grenfell-Muir
The first thing I do in parenting courses is ask students their most basic beliefs about children. Students are startled by this opening slide, “what are children?” The obvious, knee-jerk response to the question, “Are children human?” is “Of course!”… Read More ›
Feminist Parenting: How you treat children is how you see yourself – Part 1 by Trelawney Grenfell-Muir
I lived with my mother until I was 11 years old. In all that time, she never once told me to “be good,” and I can count on one hand the number of times she ever punished me for anything…. Read More ›
To Bless One Another, by Molly Remer
May you allow yourself to taste your longings and to bravely honor them. May you make wise sacrifices. May you trust in abundance. May you savor the many flavors of this sweet life before your eyes, beneath your feet, below… Read More ›
Moments of Beauty by Sara Frykenberg
Last week a friend of mine started a post asking people to share something that they’ve enjoyed or appreciated since shelter-at-home orders began across the country and globe. This friend was in no way trying to minimize the very difficult… Read More ›
Staying Un-Frozen by Sara Frykenberg
It is February 14th, Valentines Day. So, today I want to explore my daughter’s love affair with Frozen; a story that I did not like, but that I learned to love by watching it through her eyes. A story which… Read More ›
To Light a Flaming Pumpkin: The Inexact Art of Family Ritual, by Molly Remer
Our bounty is in creativity friendship community the myriad small adventures of everyday. We tell of magic and moonrise and listening to the pulse of the earth beneath our feet. Ah, October. Fall has settled into the trees and air…. Read More ›
The Truth About Humans by Natalie Weaver
I have greatly enjoyed an odd little book I read over the summer. It is Lucy Cooke’s The Truth About Animals (Basic Books, 2018). Cooke takes us through a journey of animal behavior, chronicling the curious narratives that naturalists, philosophers, theologians, and… Read More ›
To My Grandchild by Karen Leslie Hernandez
You’re not born yet. You’re still an idea A thought. Yet I think of you often. I hope for you. I wonder what life will be like For you. When you arrive Will each breath Be easy? Will you have… Read More ›
The Sound of Silence: a mother’s day reflection 2019 by Sara Wright
Here in the high desert it has been raining off and on for the last few days. A giant puddle sits in the driveway and all the trees range in color from subtle shades of sage to emerald. Fringed Chamisa,… Read More ›
Raising (Dis)respectful Sons by Esther Nelson
I recently spoke with a female relative (I’ll call her Sylvia), the mother of two teenage sons. The eldest just completed his first year of college. During our conversation, Sylvia mentioned she was not looking forward to him coming home… Read More ›
Embracing Lost Vocation: Painting Mother Goddess by Angela Yarber
The awakening occurred at 1:27am with the pterodactyl-cry only uttered by toddlers. It continued around 2am when said pterodactyl joined weary moms in bed. Stinging tears splattered pillows with a swift headbutt to my nose, later accompanied by footied talons… Read More ›
Emotional Labor, Elastigirl, & Me
Last year, I turned 40 and started grad school while working part time at the public library as the Children’s Services Manager, living in a cohousing community, volunteering with my Sisterhood, and raising three teenagers. I’m between semesters at the… Read More ›
Wild Snail Festivals by Molly Remer
“It’s a wild snail festival out here!” —Tanner (age 3) This spring we took a family mini vacation to Table Rock Lake, about three hours away from home. At its best, working and schooling from home with our family of… Read More ›
On Guilt and G-d, the Parent by Ivy Helman.
Sometimes, being overwhelmed with guilt makes one unable to act. Other times, guilt manipulates and attempts to control. It might offer a sense of responsibility and concern. More often than not, guilt comes bundled in small doses of should-haves and… Read More ›
We Don’t Need Armed Guards, We Need Grandmas by Karen Moon
(Written the day after the Parkland high school, Florida shooting.) Last night, my husband and I went outside to our driveway to sit in the car and have a beer. Those of you with lots of children will understand that… Read More ›
Princess Peach from The Goddess Project: Made in Her Image by Colette Numajiri
Toy stores and department store aisles are decked with pink and purple princess paraphernalia. Disney has provided an array of princesses for little girls to choose their birthday party or bedroom decor from. But as we all know, there’s a… Read More ›
The Last Time, by Molly Remer
I lie in bed with him, cementing the details in my memory. The way the morning air is heavy and green. The sound of last night’s raindrops continuing to drip from the overfull gutters on the roof. The insistent stab… Read More ›
Rituals for Our Sons, by Molly Remer
“…There, he found a piece of glass and began to tell a story. He was telling one of his tribe’s men’s stories. It was a story for boys to become men, and it was not shared with women. The women… Read More ›
Parenting with the ‘Same Words’ by Sara Frykenberg
Teaching and talking with my daughter, I find myself revisiting the subtle and not so subtle kyriarchial language in my own upbringing in ways that I do not when speaking to other adults with my very intentional and well-trained adult language. Parenting sometimes feels like a trip back in time where I remember and more readily feel my joy of singing particular songs or reading particular stories, simultaneously feeling my inner feminist and adult self cringe at the messages in too many of these stories.
Everyday Inanna by Molly
The spirit of adventure runs through my veins with the rich color of crushed raspberry May it always run so free may it be blessed and may I be reminded of the courage and love shown in small, wild adventures…… Read More ›
Birth Matters by Karen Leslie Hernandez
I don’t talk much about giving birth, but when I do talk about the birth of my daughter and I give details, I am met almost assuredly with looks of disbelief and outright contempt for my birthing experience. In that,… Read More ›
What If Jesus Had Gone to Daycare? by Katey Zeh
As a maternal health advocate, I cherish the season of Advent as an opportunity to connect a beloved Christian story to the lives of women today who struggle to bring new life into the world under horrific circumstances. Every year… Read More ›
All We Need to Make Magic by Molly
“The tools are unimportant; we have all we need to make magic: our bodies, our breath, our voices, each other.” –Starhawk As November drew to a rainy close, we had a small family full moon ritual on our back deck… Read More ›
Winter Solstice Meditation by Molly
When the wheel of the year turns towards fall, I always feel the call to retreat, to cocoon, to pull away. I also feel the urge for fall de-cluttering—my eyes cast about the house for things to unload, get rid… Read More ›
Fannie Lou Hamer’s Commitment to Life by Elise M. Edwards
A few weeks ago, I came across a postcard that I was given at a conference last year. I got the postcard (advertisement?) because it has a picture of Fannie Lou Hamer on it, and in my home and office,… Read More ›
Mother Blessings and the Power of Ritual by Molly
You are the most powerful intelligent inspirational Woman Close to my heart. You continue to become exponentially more amazing. Always giving others the step UP. Force of the cosmos connecting the Web You are. Thank you. –Phanie Last week,… Read More ›
A Mother Not Feeling Guilty by Natalie Weaver
Last Tuesday marked my fourth day home in over two months. I was researching over the summer in Europe. When I was not working, I was climbing up castle ruins or carrying groceries or creatively managing my children’s laundry with… Read More ›
Family Ties by amina wadud
Some of you may be familiar with the time honored curse: “May you grow up to have a child exactly like you…”? I know, no one is exactly alike, but the point is, some of what we put our parents… Read More ›
No Parenting Anxieties (Yet?) About Passing Down the Faith by Grace Yia-Hei Kao
I’ve recently read Jim Belcher’s In Search of Deep Faith: A Pilgrimage into the Beauty, Goodness, and Heart of Christianity (2013). Even though I had several issues with the book, I couldn’t put it down once I started reading and… Read More ›
