I’m a yoga pants girl who rarely wears makeup. But man do I love a good wedding. Getting dressed to the nines, slipping into some sexy heels, and imbibing all the wine—I soak up every minute. Known for my signature one arm up “woo-hoo!” move (which hasn’t changed since college, but that’s fine), I usually […]
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He Protected Me From The Grave
She sat quietly on my bed, trying to calm my tears, as I wept into the pillow. We barely knew each other, but as my new roommate she was aware that my dad had recently died. She had heard me crying and came to check on me. I finally felt myself calming down and as my […]
My Father’s Hands
My father’s hands are much like my own. We share the same stubby fingers, the same thick thumbs. Our smallest digits, the pinky fingers, spin off at an alarming angle at the last knuckle although my father’s are more pronounced than my own. They are good hands and ones that have served us both well. […]
I Married A Masked Stranger
At twenty-three years old, I was already the mother of two. Newly separated from my abusive ex-fiancee, naive about life, love, and everything in between, and scared shitless of adulthood, I was a hot mess and desperate for safety and security. That’s when I met Him. He was way out of my league, or so […]
How My Split Second Instincts Saved Me From My Attacker
He targeted me the moment I sat down. Did I look like easy prey as I was rushing to work? Unaware of him at first, I found a seat and took out my phone to listen to music on the way uptown. As the express five train left the hustle of Manhattan on that beautiful […]
The Other Mother-Confronting An Abusive Parent And Why It Is Your Business
Her words were so cruel I thought I must have heard wrong. I was rushing through Target to get some inexpensive flip-flops to wear around the house and had just begun scanning the shoe aisle when I first heard her voice. Her words, dripping with hate, seemed to fall without hesitation from her mouth. “Shut […]
The Struggle to Accept That Your Teen Is Not Like You
Our children are in some very ways very like us and in others very different. The tween and teen years may be difficult for parents; in witnessing theirs, our own memories may resurface. We may want to spare our children that awkward stage, when we said and did all the wrong things when trying to […]
The Surprising Way Parents’ Memories Protect Teens
Looking at small babies, it is easy to think only of the positives. I remember the quiet times: the cozy cuddles, the soft pats, the sweet coos, that unmistakable baby smell. I don’t let my mind go to the shrill screams, the smell of the diaper pail, the sleepless nights. The positive memories very much […]