Author Archives: Gabrielle

Not All Boys’ Mothers are “Jealous Shrews”

by Gabrielle Posted on April 6, 2012

 

Recently, I came across an article, albeit satirical, written by a mom of a young son.  The author maps out a contract for her future daughter-in-law, basically claiming life long jurisdiction over her son.  At one point, going so far as saying that her son is merely on loan to make grandbabies! Ummm,  yikes!

While it’s true, the moment your son is born you begin counting down the days

til he leaves you, the same applies to your daughter (I know, I have one of each).  With your little girl, you know as her mother that you are her first example of womanhood, what she will one day become.  But, for your son you know (barring the exception that he might be gay), you’re the model of the woman he will likely, want to be with. 

I realize the mother-in-law contract was meant to be tongue in cheek, but there’s plenty of genuine sentiment behind what this mom is saying.  Without delving into the fact that women are already generally perceived as being catty, isn’t there enough stigma surrounding the in-law,  specifically the Mother/Daughter-in -Law, relationship?

As a daughter-in-law, I am incredibly grateful that I did NOT end up with a mother-in-law like the one who wrote this contract (mine is quite the opposite, actually).  It struck me, while reading some of her stipulations, the author hadn’t considered that maybe her future daughter-in-law wouldn’t have the benefit of coming from a traditional family background.  For instance, both of my own parents are deceased.  I am utterly dependent on a good relationship with my in-laws (THANKFULLY its fantastic!), otherwise I’d have no parents at all.  Even more importantly, my kids’ relationship with their only surviving grandparents would undoubtedly suffer under different circumstances.

I shudder to think what my life would be like if I experienced, not only the loneliness of losing both my parents, but also had to contend with the judgement and cattiness, of a mother-in-law still coddling her grown son like a toddler.  I feel for all the young women out there, who dread the inevitable meeting, and sizing-up by, their future mother-in-law, an apprehension I once shared.  Because as women, we know that whatever our relationship with our man’s mama, it’s surely going to change once we become the potential vessel for bringing her grandbabies into the world.  And of course, EVERY mom thinks the way she raised her kids was the RIGHT way, that is not a trait exclusive to mothers-in-law.  So, it’s natural that there would be some nervousness, especially at the start of the relationship between mother and daughter-in-law.  But to open said relationship, with your son’s future wife, decades before they’ve even met, with statements like “son-stealing…jezebel” comes off as petty and irresponsible, regardless of the underlying satire in the delivery.

As a future Mother-In-Law, I’m aware that there may be a high degree of apprehension for my future daughter-in-law, in regard to joining our family.  So, in the interest of relieving some of that tension and putting it out there that, “Hey, not every boy’s mama is waiting for the cord to ‘rot and fall off’ before she lets go of the reins,” I’m writing, not a contract, but an open letter of invitation into our family:

Dear Daughter,

Welcome to our family!  We’re so excited to have you as a part of our lives and look forward to a warm future, full of joy and love.

Thank you for loving my son and wanting to share your life with him.  I want you to know that if my son loves you and you love him,  then you are loved by all that love him.

I will respect and not openly question or criticize the way that you raise your children.  I only want to make it clear that should you desire, the knowledge gained from my decades of parenting experience, is at your disposal.

I understand that you may live far away from us, but I’d appreciate seeing the grandkids, on all the holidays. If you can’t make it, please at least have the grandkids send a card or call.

I hope you and my son share a long, healthy, loving life together.

But should the relationship end prematurely, I want you to know I won’t judge you or turn my back on you. (Provided you didn’t do anything scandalous, of course!)

I hope that we’re able to enjoy a life-long friendship with one another and can share in the love we have for OUR boy.

Sincerely,     GCM

Watching our kids grow up and start families, means acknowledging our own mortality, and trusting that we’ve prepared our children well enough to thrive on their own, and then ultimately raise thriving offspring.  By embracing our children-in-law we are really embracing our own child’s good judgement.  What should make the experience so special is that we are being given a unique insight into, how the values we raise our children with, play out in their lives.  If we’re confident that we’ve been a good example for our children, in actions, principles, and relationships, then the prospect of seeing who our child chooses for a future mate,  should be an exciting one.  Because ultimately, who our children end up marrying, really pays tribute to who raised them.

 

 

Posted in Family, In-Laws, Parenting, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

What’s in a name?…………Everything

by Gabrielle Posted on March 15, 2012

As I approached  the playground at my daughter’s preschool the other day, I heard her teacher call out “Calliope your mom’s here!”  Hearing my daughter’s polysyllabic name spoken out loud caused my heart to crow with delight.

Strange as it may sound, the only aspect of my daughter starting preschool that I quite literally dreaded, was anticipating how I’d deal with the, seemingly, inevitable adoption of a nickname for her.   But, as she is now getting settled into her 3rd month of preschool and things are getting comfortable, I am jumping for joy that no nickname has yet made an appearance.  During my daughter’s first week of school, there was some discussion about abbreviating her 4 syllable name to CiCi, Cali, or some other butchered version. Her teachers were concerned that ‘Calliope’ might be too difficult for the other children to pronounce.  They gently prodded, “Well, what do you call her at home?” To which I bristled and replied simply,  ”We call her….her name.”

Let me provide some background on my particular sensitivity to this subject.  I had THE longest full name in my h.s. graduating class.  My full maiden name has 29 letters, 9 syllables, and a hyphen (my struggles with my LAST name are a tale for another day).  As a child and adolescent I constantly had my first name abbreviated to the only slightly shorter (by one syllable) “Gabby,” which coincidentally and appropriately described my personality, then…and now!   But what child wants their nickname synonymous with a less than desirable, personal trait?  A kid with an overbite doesnt want to be nicknamed “Bucky”, for instance.  And yet, no matter how much I hinted, and even demanded to be called by my full name, the dreaded nickname always reappeared.  Eventually, I begrudgingly accepted the reality that the nickname was here to stay. And even tried to take ownership of it..”My name is Gabby and I live up to it.”  But, I’ve always insisted upon never being introduced by my nickname.

I knew when I chose my daughter’s name, that I’d be saddling her with this same burden.  Hers is not only a long name but one that can be easily mispronounced.  But the story behind her naming makes it so that I hope she is proud of it, and won’t tolerate having it abbreviated.

As a little girl I was a HUGE fan of Greek Mythology, and when I stumbled upon the name “Calliope” (incidentally, the Muse of eloquence, heroic poetry, and beautiful voice), I fell in love.   I resolved that if I ever had a daughter, that would be her name.  Fast forward a couple of decades, to the day I found out I was pregnant with a baby girl.  I had lost my mother to Cancer a year before I got pregnant, and was left with many conflicting emotions about my recent loss and the news that I was expecting.

The day my mom passed away, a small hummingbird came and sat on a branch near me and my sister.  I turned to my sister and said “That’s mom’s spirit.  She wants us to know its going to be okay.”  The notion of our mother’s spirit being represented by a hummingbird stuck.  So imagine my utter disbelief when several months into the pregnancy, I looked up alternate meanings for the name “Calliope” only to discover… that it is a species of hummingbird.  People often speak of “signs” – I don’t think the Universe could have provided me with a more clear cut message.  Not only were things going to be okay, they were meant to be.  I truly believe that my daughter’s name is her destiny.  So why would I, or one day she, want to see it changed to suit the preferences of  the lazy-tongued?

These days naming is almost a sport, with parents giving their kids atypical and unique names like, Kennedy, Addison, and Sparrow.  Celebrities especially seem to be leading the way with this trend.  As society becomes accepting of longer and/or more unusual names, does this mean our kids are less likely to have nicknames? Perhaps.  Does it matter?  I think so.

A great deal of our identity is wrapped up in our names.   Would I have been so chatty if I’d been named something else?  Would it be harder to stand up for myself now, if I hadn’t had to stand up for my name?  Religion, cultural and ethnic heritage are huge factors in naming, but so are our unique life experiences.  I think nicknames strip us of a big part of this identity and uniqueness.

Now of course there are people who like or even insist upon having a nickname.  I just don’t happen to be one of them.  But I do understand that there is a familiarity afforded by the nickname that can even be termed endearment.  And while I don’t think nicknames should be yet another issue tacked onto the banner of political correctness, I would say that the next time you encounter someone with a long or unusual name, that you might be inclined to shorten, inquire as to what their preference is first.  Because in asking someone to sacrifice one little syllable, you might really be asking them to give up a big piece of who they are.

Posted in Family, Loss, Memories, Parenting, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

The Discipline Diaries: Part One

by Gabrielle Posted on January 16, 2012

Reality Check: My Kid’s a B**t!

(rhymes with cat)

Even as I start writing under that heading I feel a creeping sense of shame and betrayal.  Like I have broken the first golden rule of parenting: “Thou Shalt Not Speak Ill of Thine Own Offspring.”  A la booming voice from the sky.  As a parent your first call of duty is to protect your kids.  You don’t talk badly about them, you build them up.  You encourage them in every way towards healthy self-esteem, and give them limitless opportunity to express themselves.  But what happens when that “expression” becomes rude, obnoxious, embarrassing behaviour?  Well, it has come to my attention that my daughter is headed for the position as Mayor of Bratsville if I don’t get a handle on the situation right now.

We live in an era of helicopter, attachment, and tiger style parenting – the digital and information age, of self-help and how-to.  With the plethora of parenting books on the market, it’s like there’s no excuse for not having an honorary degree in early childhood development, if you want to call yourself a parent.  Beyond that, there is an unspoken pressure, whether we admit it or not, on social media sites, to post pics of our happy families-mid bliss, with proud commentary about  our darling offspring.  (I’m as guilty as the next gal).

But errrrrrrr…stop the record!  Parenting is exhausting.  Let me spell that out so it comes across really clearly, parenting is E-X-H-A-U-S-T-I-N-G.    I mean, yes yes, of course it’s a delight and a joy almost every minute.  But the rest of the time you are struggling to keep up…. How do I burn off all her energy?  How do I do it productively?  Did she get enough to eat?  Was it healthy?  Was it organic?  When’s that next doctor appointment?  Does she have enough friends?  Did she just say thank you? How’s her language development?  I need to sign her up for preschool… I need to do laundry…pay bills…do dishes..blah blah blah, we all know it never ends. And in midst of all that you have to mold and maintain behavioral control of  a sprouting, effervescent, intellectual, spiritual life!!

And lest we take the weight of that duty lightly- there’s a reason guns, whips, shackles and bars have historically been the tools for controlling human beings… Because its HARD!!! Humans want freedom.  We want to explore, be curious, be expressive, and nowhere is that more apparent than in the up and down, moment-to-moment antics of a toddler.  Yet parents ad educators have that duty every day, to mold and maintain control simultaneously.

In my own life I have always had an aversion to discipline. I battled it til I bled and in the end, having my children is what really forced discipline into my life.  I ran from my mother and her methods of discipline and I am utterly terrified of creating that type of distance between myself and my kids.  I live in the constant fear that my kids will run away from me like I ran away from my own parents.  So maybe I’ve been a little lax on the discipline.   Maybe one too many times I thought “Oh, it’s okay, there’s no harm, she’s only (insert age here).”   But on a recent outing Christmas shopping with my mother in law… my laissez-faire attitude came back to bite me in the ass.

While perusing a book store with MIL, my 2 ½ yr old and  5 month old (in stroller) I lost control.  I mean, I lost total control of my daughter.  I let her out of the stroller before we went in the store (first mistake) and while I was momentarily distracted, she took off like some kind of banshee track star.  She was up and down the aisles of that book shop faster than I could keep up, screaming in that high pitched Mariah Carey-esque squeel, that only toddlers can accomplish, for a solid 5 minutes.  It was an eternity.  I bounced between being mortified and just wanting to run away.  But I couldn’t.  I wrangled my child amidst the gawks of onlookers and we managed to get outside.

Once clear of the store I turned to my MIL, and exclaimed “I don’t know what to do with her.  She’s out of control!”  Accepting my invitation for counsel, she said the first thing needed was creation of boundaries and that those boundaries need to be consistent, because children respond best to consistency.  So I can only assume that if I am able to consistently, non-violently, create boundaries for my children, they will respond with appropriate behaviour.  But didn’t I just say discipline was hard for me?  So really in disciplining her I am disciplining myself… towards consistency.  Its clearly a learning process for both of us.

Now as I am in the midst of negotiating the ins and outs of disciplining my child, I’m asking, where do I begin?  When do I draw the line and how do I find the energy to do it?  How do I discipline with non-violence?  Also, how do I discipline according to the specific characteristics of my childrens personalities?  Ergo-Discipline perhaps?  I wonder if it might be best to not take a broad sweeping approach to discipline.  One size does not necessarily fit all when disciplining kids.

How about you, reader? Are you learning how to discipline? Have you already learned?  What works or hasn’t worked for you and your children?

We at Takes a Village would like to invite you to share your experiences with discipline or lack of it!  Your trials and triumphs will be posted as part of a continuing dialogue, the “Discipline Diaries.”  Feel free to respond anonymously if you wish.  Please send responses to contact@takesavillage.net or simply comment here.

I will also be reporting back with my own battles and hopefully victories, as well as the development of the Ergo-Discipline theory.

Posted in Behavior, Discipline, Family, Manners, Multi-tasking, Parenting Advice, Theory, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Why I Could Just Eat You Up….

by Gabrielle Posted on January 10, 2012

We’ve all said it.  During an intense moment of love for our kids or because they are so ridiculously cute, we tell them we could eat them right up.  I don’t know about you, but I actually get a physical urge to bite and nibble on my kids.  In fact…I do… gently of course, and I even sometimes growl as I do it.  It’s a pretty bizarre sensation, but everyone I’ve asked, men and women, parents and non-parents, old and young alike, have all experienced a similar craving of wanting to eat young, cute babies.  (I think alot of people experience the same sensation with young animals but for the sake of this discussion we’ll stick with human children).

There are several, albeit rare, examples of eating young in nature. There are also representations of eating babies in human culture. Take for example, the Greek myth of Titan Cronos, father of  Zeus, who ate his young babies.  And of course, there are cannibalistic cultures that eat human flesh for a variety of reasons, but what I’m talking about is nowhere near as dark, and a lot less literal.

The feeling I’m referring to, is one you can’t quite put your finger on, when you see a cute baby and you get a strange, visceral sensation that you’d like to eat them. It’s not a topic which appears to have garnered much study, according to my online searches.  Though some discussions mentioning it seemed to theorize that it is a residual predatory instinct.  Still, I can’t help but wonder what makes us, everyone I’ve talked to, feel that “eat you up sensation” or EYUS.   And I am curious if the reason could be just as much spiritual, as it is primal.

There is a universal connection between eating or ingestion and energy. Obviously, thats the reason every living thing does it….Eating = Energy = Life.   As a mother I think there’s a special sensation that comes with creating new life, new energy inside of your body, using only the foods you eat as the building blocks for creation, and then giving birth to, or expelling that life/energy.

During pregnancy I experienced first-hand my body’s magical ability to generate living cells and tissue, literally transforming my meals into brand new human beings!  I don’t think there is a more stupendously awesome or incredibly mystical process on Earth.

Now, I am experiencing a different angle to this amazing life cycle.  This time through my body’s capacity to create sustenance through nursing.  As I nurse, my child eats from me, but also by ingesting my milk, he is in a sense, eating me, strange as it may sound.  And I believe it’s when I am nursing that I feel the strongest EYUS.  I think that’s because I can literally feel the energy leaving my body to feed my child and that energy is my life energy.   When I see his little cute face it reminds me, that he was created and continues to thrive, because he is fed of and by my own flesh. In some abstract way I want to take back in the energy and life forces he represents.   Still with me here?

So, could it be that when I see my cute baby or any baby, that makes me feel EYUS, I am actually feeling a primal, metaphysical longing to reconnect with and “ingest” the life energy that has brought all of us here? Could EYUS really be a deep desire to be reconnected to the forces that created us?  Forces from which ALL of our lives were “fed” at the very genesis of our cells splitting.

Its a fascinating thought for my weird little mind, and has spawned a theory.  When I feel EYUS I am really feeling a deep subconscious, universal, human desire to be connected to the great cycle of Life. I want to literally ingest the energy that has created us.  Which would explain why every person I’ve talked to about this, knows the feeling.  Don’t all of us,  consciously or not, want to feel connected to the mystical processes of life, energy, and creation?  And a child’s face reminds us that those forces are constantly at work…

Then again I could just need more vitamins….

Posted in Behavior, Family, Food, Pregnancy, Theory, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Living Vicariously Through Your Kids… Better For Both of You Than You Think

by Gabrielle Posted on December 18, 2011

The term “living vicariously through your kids”  probably conjures up images of dads in fist fights at peewee football league games. Or perhaps, you envision mothers dressing and making up their toddler girls to look like grown women and parading them onstage. Presumably these parents, attempting to live out the unfulfilled dreams of their youth, are now subjecting their kids to whatever they missed out on, with potentially, appalling results…..But is there another side to the coin? What if living vicariously through your kids can actually be a healthy way to engage BOTH of you? And used properly, a tool to increase general health, respect, love and comraderie  between parents and kids.. Well I’m here to say it can be so.

The seed for this idea was planted, as I pondered a way to get my husband back in the water. As a youth my husband was a phenomenal surfer.  He was sponsored, competed, and won all over the California coast.  However, life sometimes gets in the way of dreams, and talent. When he started his career in the studios at 18, he put down his surfboard and never looked back.  As time went on, he lost the interest/confidence to get back in the water.  But I kept hearing from others and sometimes him, repeatedly, how amazing he used to be and I wanted to see for myself…

The “lightbulb” went off when I saw my husband skateboard.  He’s a typical Cali boy.   He grew up surfing sidewalks as much as the actual water, and he is a highly skilled skater. One day he picked up an old skateboard and went outside with our daughter to show her how to stand on the board.  Once he peaked her interest, he picked her up and started rolling, to her delight.  I decided right then and there that we were all getting skateboards for Christmas.  I myself started skating at 17.  I was never great, but I can definitely hold my own at the skate park.  I havent seriously skated since college, but why not?  Why can’t we all go to the skate park as a family?

The next avenue for living vicariously through my kids came when I was considering  lessons or classes my daughter and I could take together that would be fun for both of us and, perhaps less inherently dangerous than skateboarding!   As any 2 1/2 year old will, my daughter is beginning to experiment with and understand the power behind, her voice.  This revelation can be hilarious and adorable, or as all parents know, it can be downright awful.  Personally, I LOVE to sing.  As a child I performed at the Kennedy Center and Wolf Trap, with various children’s choirs. However, life – and maybe even more so – insecurity, often get in the way of dreams and passion, and I never pursued singing seriously. So, I decided to sign us up for voice lessons.

When I contacted a local, voice coach he mentioned that because my daughter is so young I would need to attend lessons with her.  I laughed and said “Of Course I’ll be there, you’re going to be teaching me too!!”  He was thrilled!  The voice coach explained that its fantastic to be encouraging a serious interest in music at an early age, but also, by including myself, I am encouraging my daughter’s participation, because Mommy is making it cool! He went on to say that when kids are taken to music lessons they’re typically dropped off, picked up, then shuffled off to practice, alone. Left to their own devices the child may stop practicing and pick up, for example, a video game instead.  But with their parent(s) participating, the child wants to emulate and engage with their mom or dad. Practice becomes a fun activity that’s interesting for both of you.

I’ll actively pursue activities, like singing, skating, art, karate, with my kids that I wish I’d done more of when I was young, because I hope my own enthusiasm will be infectious. By being directly involved, I hope to be both a peer and a leader. I want to be friends with my kids, but I also want to be a leader whom they respect and listen to.  I believe I can lead, inspire and engage them by participating alongside them in these kinds of activities and more.

When they see me practice vocal techniques or fall down on my skateboard, get up, and try again, I am embodying the example I want to set, and living the lessons we all want our kids to learn- Hard work and practice will pay off- Dont give up just because you fall down or, are not an expert the first time you try something..Plus and SO important, its not necessarily the destination, but the journey that is the most valuable in life.

"Dude that old lady's pretty sick on mini ramp! " "Yup, thats my mom." "Whoa!"

When the time comes to step back and let my kids shine, it’ll be my absolute pleasure.  After all, I WANT to be the Mom beaming in the stands, as I proudly exclaim: “Thats MY girl/boy!” But, I also want to show my kids it’s never too late to pursue a passion and have fun in life.  Being an adult doesn’t mean being a bore and I’d rather be at the skatepark trying to reclaim my youth than at a Botox appointment.

By involving myself in my kids’ pursuits, I’m showing my support and interest in what they’re doing and ultimately, in them. I’m encouraging them to pursue their own passions, hone their talents and skills, and teaching them not to give up.  I hope in this way, I’m able to instill the confidence they’ll need to persevere and thrive in all aspects of their lives.

Perhaps the greatest benefit to all this interaction is that, the time we’ll share together will be priceless. But you never know, maybe I’ll simply encourage them not to give up on their passions as kids so they dont have subject their own children to an embarrassing parent trying to reclaim their lost youth.  Only time will tell….

Posted in Development, Exercise, Extra curricular Activity, Food, parent-child activities, Parenting Advice, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

How & Why I Became A House Wife (By The Gal Who Swore She’d Never Be One)

by Gabrielle Posted on December 9, 2011

…..And I did swear over and over again, throughout my years in the mosh pits of the DC punk scene…later while studying gender stratification in college, and again while working behind the scenes at some of DCs biggest nightclubs and concerts.

I spent years mocking and pitying the boring, oppressed life of the housewife….Those poor women living an outdated lifestyle, saddled with the burden of raising kids and cleaning house, and deprived of the freedom to pursue their own careers and enjoy life on their own terms.

I couldn’t imagine ever giving up my “freedom” to go to work, in favor of what I perceived as, the messy, irritating, task of child rearing.  Maybe that sounds harsh but growing up I perceived (through media and other sources) that raising kids was an annoyance.  Kids are loud, they make everything sticky, they throw tantrums, they keep you from going out on a whim, etc.

This is all true (as we all surely know!) but the other side of things is what I didn’t anticipate… I didnt foresee the moments of wonder and peace, when you hold them in your arms as they doze off, or see them pick a flower for the first time, and the many many other instances of tranquility and perfect love you get as a parent…

I certainly don’t recall my own parents having many of those moments. I come from a home rocked by illness and addiction. My father was a brilliant man, but also a manic alcoholic (he was in rehab 6 times that I was aware of). In addition he was diagnosed with terminal Cancer when I was 8 and passed away when I was 17 (Note: He did finally achieve sobriety 3 years before he passed away).

On top of that my parents ran a small non-profit that was competing for project grant money with agencies like USAID and Unicef. They worked very, very hard and for extremely long hours…Long story short, when I was growing up my parents were always busy and stressed, and later sick and weak.  Several years after my father passed away my mom was diagnosed with liver Cancer and she passed in 2007.

For over 20 years our family was polluted with the weight and strain of anticipating certain doom. That in itself is like being sick. When I met my now-husband I insisted that I had no interest in marriage or kids.  After all who wants to create a family when you’re just increasing the number of people you love, whom you can lose?

What finally did convince me to marry him happened when he held me, on the 2nd anniversary of my moms passing, as I cried. He looked me in the eyes and explained softly, that the only way I could fill the hole in my heart from LOSING family was by CREATING FAMILY. It was such a simple concept but one that had eluded me for years, until that moment.

We eloped a few months later and I was pregnant 6 weeks after that. At the time I was doing work that was very physically demanding and I had to quit. I insisted to him and myself, that I would return to work once the baby was born. My husband supported the idea of me going back to work, if thats what I wanted to do.

Then my daughter was born, and wanting to immerse myself in raising and loving her, I decided to put off going back to work for a while longer.  My husband, thank our lucky stars, makes enough money to support the household.

And it suddenly occurred to me that I am indeed VERY lucky that we are able to afford having the FREEDOM for me stay home to raise our children…I am aware now of what a blessing it is to be there for my kids all the time, to witness all those unique, golden (yes, often messy) moments children have. My own parents didnt have that luxury, I was a latchkey kid from the start. But my kids wont be.

I will be the suburban mom, driving them to practice and parties. I’ll be there to cook their meals, help with homework, give advice, nag them, fight with them, laugh and play with them, clean up their messes and teach them to clean up after themselves.

Because though I had most of those things to a certain degree, I always knew the enormous amount of stress my parents were under, kept them from being “those” types, the super hands-on, around all the time kind of parents. But its the kind of parent I’d like to be and I am grateful that I have that opportunity. Parenting is a HUGE responsibility and a mammoth task but it is such a joy every moment (even if its in retrospect!) and I am honored to have so much time with my kids.

Given my own life experience I know that being a stay at home mom or “housewife” is both a blessing, and a choice, that has given me and my children a lifestyle of stability and peace that I didn’t have.

I don’t know what the Universe has in store for me and my family, but I am enjoying my life and living in the moment.  And I have found surprisingly, that being a housewife turned out to be the exact thing, I never knew, I always wanted.

Posted in Family, Gender Roles, Loss, SAHM, Stereotypes, Villagers | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments