List/Grid Tag Archives: Anxiety
10 Things I Wish For My Son As He Grows Up
I went to pick up my son from school on Friday and I experienced a moment that will stay for me forever. He was standing on the climbing frame grinning and shouting for joy. He is a wonderful little man – so confident without being arrogant. He resonates joy and because of it he attracts love and affection wherever he goes. He’s just moved classes at school and he’s been thrilled with the newness of…
Financial Ruin..The Snowball Effect
In my blog entry from Monday, September 13, I ended it when Chloe became ill. That was when the snowball began to roll and roll and it is still rolling today. Chloe became very ill and proceeded to miss 24 days of school or nearly 5 weeks well into April this year. When Chloe is ill her dad and I generally have her stay with me vs. going between houses. Chloe just likes to be…
Financial Ruin…. How Did I Get Here?
Here I sit as a 44 year old single mother with a Master’s degree and a substantial resume but I am basically penniless. How did I get to this place? Why did I let myself get into this position? I hit an emotional rock bottom 6 years ago due to my divorce and as I mentioned in my post nearly a month ago, I seem to just to be coming out of the “divorce fog,”…
Soul Surfing
Remind me, please, on the hardest days, when my heart is twisted in knots, when I see my youngest child, Sean burst through the door, his body wrecked with chaos and irrational anxiety, fingers bent into monster claws and tears bubble up like fountain spouts in syrup-y green eyes, that this too shall pass and that what I’m feeling is not shame, anger or frustration but connection. When his heart breaks mine breaks, too –…
Birthday Party Anxiety
Why is it that most moms I know have had some kind stress over planning their child’s birthday party? I’m no exception. In a short while, The Littlest E will be turning 2 and it will be his first birthday with us. In my gut I know his birthday party will be fine, but try telling that to my head at 3:30 a.m. when I’ve gotten up to use the bathroom. My latest early morning…
Giving Up Television
Since confessing to friends and family that I put the television away in a dark closet the responses have followed a predictable pattern: “You are brave.” “My spouse/kids would never let me!” “I couldn’t do that. I need the break.” “How do you keep them busy?” “What about movies?” “But I’d miss [insert favorite TV show here].” “My kids only watch [insert number of hours or minutes here] a day.” There is also the whispered…
The L Word
Fear and anxiety dominated the first few months of my life as a father. The practicalities of trying to figure out how to do things I had never done before were a big part of it. You should have seen me and my wife trying to burp Joaquin for the first time. The four week baby care class we took had somehow managed to cover everything except proper burping technique. So Janine held Joaquin up…
“My Parents Hate Each Other” Part Two
I ended part one of this story where I was anxiously awaiting the day when my ex-husband and I were to meet alone for the first time in five years. My daughter thought that all she would remember of her childhood was that her parents hated each other and I was trying to do something about it. Once divorced, I always assured there was another person with me as a buffer anytime there was a…
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