Honest reflections. Tender truths. A safe place for same-sex parents and donor-conceived families.
Sixteen years ago, there were no Facebook groups or Fertility Clinics offering information sessions, so word of mouth was all that was available for prospective same sex parents. We became ‘those friends’ who had been through the process, and so would often be contacted by ‘friends of friends’ to field questions about all issues related … Continue reading Word of Mouth
Parents who manage to get their offspring to sleep in their own beds all night are my heroes. Well, slight exaggeration, but you know what I mean. After five kids, I haven’t mastered the art of walking in, placing my child in their cot, and walking away. I can’t do it. My kids have … Continue reading Cot Envy
Perspective is everything on days like Mother’s Day. The day is designed to be filled with so much love, joy and gratitude. Yet for others, it is a day marred by sadness and loss. In the midst of all our collective celebration, there are mothers amongst us quietly remembering and nursing wounds that may ultimately never, … Continue reading Mother’s Day: It’s All About Perspective
The advent of DNA testing raises so many issues for families like mine. On the one hand, it provides opportunities for discovering biological origins and providing invaluable links that may otherwise never be known. On the other hand, it can uncover donors and connections that may or may not be welcome, and in some cases, … Continue reading DNA Testing: We Found Him
Miss L, our 21 month old, has taken on a new set of behaviours lately. It has become most obvious in terms of her new bedtime antics. For a week or two now, our darling (said through clenched teeth) has caused us no end of frustration in her reluctance to go to sleep. Initially we thought it was the … Continue reading Terrible Twos: A Sign Of What Lies Ahead?
There is a new development in our house…Master Z has a girlfriend. And not just a ‘Will you go out with me?’, then five seconds later ‘You are dropped’ type of girlfriend. This one seems genuine. They chat all the time on the phone and via social media, and have spent quite a few occasions … Continue reading A New Development In Our House
I met Lisa when I was three months pregnant with Master C. He was to be my final child: the one I intended on raising completely on my own. Years of co-parenting my older three kids had worn me down emotionally, and I was determined not to have to share this little one with anyone. … Continue reading Why Single Motherhood Wasn’t For Me
There are those who go about life with care and caution: considering all the options, weighing up the pros and cons, and making careful, rational decisions. So organised, considered and correct. Like the main character, Macon, from Anne Tyler’s An Accidental Tourist, these folk plan out every inch of their existence, and usually even possess … Continue reading One Hit Wonder
Our youth tend to get a bad rap at times. I read recently about how the dreaded ‘Helicopter Parents’ - who swoop in at the first sign of trouble - have been usurped by new variety of overbearing Parentals known as the ‘Lawn Mower Parents’. These ‘Lawn Mower Parents’ are the parents who actually go … Continue reading It’s Not All Bad
I have spent years feeling guilty. Guilty for making my eldest three children live two distinct lives, at two different houses. Guilty that they have to traipse themselves and all their belongings between the two places, and negotiate with two sets of parents all the rules and regulations at each location. Guilty that nothing is … Continue reading The Positive Side To Having Two Houses
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