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America: not doing as well as we like to think.
Save the Children just published their annual ranking of the best places in the world for mothers and “the U.S. ranked 31 out of 43 developed countries,” as LearnVest noted in a post today. They say there are four main reasons why the U.S. lags behind former Eastern Bloc territories like Lithuania, Croatia and Slovakia: Continue reading »
Babble Voices will be sharing great conversations on topics parents care about.
This week, Babble debuted a new discussion series with a great panel of Babble Voices writers talking about whether it takes a mom to change the world. The first installment features Heather Armstrong, Heather Spohr, Joanne Bamberger, Karen Walrond and Megan Jordan discussing whether and how much having a child impacted their desire to create a brighter future, and whether focusing on how mothers make such a big impact does a disservice to other people who use their powers for good.
My favorite question was actually the latter — do we as mothers focus too much on ourselves? Or as discussion moderator Catherine Connors put it, “Why talk about moms doing social good, and not, say, women doing social good? Or just humans doing social good? Are we limiting the discussion by approaching it in this way …?” I found myself agreeing with each panelist’s answer to these questions, even though they responded in different ways.
In my work focusing on helping mothers with postpartum depression, I am singularly focused on mothers and motherhood issues. It is because of this that when I talk about people making change in the world, it usually revolves around the mamas. It doesn’t mean I don’t think people with other kinds of experiences are equally powerful and wonderful. I do! It’s just that day-in and day-out the people I have most contact with are moms, and so it is from them that I draw examples of how people are making change and it is their perspective that I most share. It also means that I am pragmatic enough to know that I don’t have enough capacity to fix every world problem that exists, so I’ve chosen to put my limited time and resources toward impacting maternal health as much as I can.
Think no one can hold a candle to mom’s home cooking? Think again. Odds are good that you’re a better cook than your mother was, the Telegraph reports.
Or at least a more adventurous one. Their survey found that modern mamas know 25 percent more recipes than the housewives of the 1970s and 1980s, and we’re more acquainted with international cuisines. This is a British study, so it’s not a sure thing that it holds true for those of us on this side of the pond, but it’s right on in my household.
My mom is an awe-inspiring lady in many ways, but gifted in the kitchen she’s not. Neither am I; my husband does most of the cooking. Still, I regularly put meals on the table that include ingredients I’d never heard of growing up.
You used to climb mountains together. Now you can't seem to climb over the mountain of diapers to answer the phone when she calls.
There comes a time in most parents’ lives when they realize some of their oldest and dearest friendships have taken a bit of a beating via the adjustment to parenthood. Most at risk are your friendships with your friends who don’t have kids, because they probably can’t quite understand what you’re going through and might be, frankly, a little tired of hearing you explain it.
While it might seem like your child-free friend’s life is nothing but a booze-soaked free-for-all, think back to your life before children: there’s a lot more to it than partying, yes? And of course there’s a lot more to you than poop, though your friend won’t know that if it’s all you talk about.
Go The Heck to Sleep, Sweetie. Please?
Like most writers who trade in the everyday annoyances of parenting, my reaction to the runaway success of the adult storybook Go The F**k to Sleep has been mixed. Like, one part “How awesome is this?” and 87 parts self-flagellation for not thinking of this incredibly obvious genius idea myself. I had a good 8 years on this guy. How could I not have made it happen?
Whatever percentage is leftover (who has time for math? I have children to ignore) has been busily analyzing the answer to that question. The truth of the matter is, if I, or any other mother had written this book, it probably would have taken a very, very different trajectory. This is what I was thinking of this morning, as I was pretending to be taking a long time in the bathroom for biological reasons and really just reading New York Magazine. Then strangely enough, I opened up my computer to find that the eloquent Amy Sohn had already written up my hypothesis.
When my friend invited me to be her guest at the annual New York Women’s Foundation’s Celebrating Women Breakfast yesterday, I was honored, but I really had no idea what to expect. I arrived at 7:33 AM, rushing, late, through the lobby of the Hilton, and immediately got a sense that this was going to be something pretty impressive. The halls were filled with women: attendees, volunteers, staff, all coming together for one of the most inspirational gatherings of women supporting women I have ever seen. And I’ve seen some.
The group does incredible work, which I’ll talk more about below. But the most amazing thing to me was not just the incredible reach of this organization. It was the energy in the room: powerful, fierce, FEMALE energy: unapologetic about the ways women are different and the ways our children’s needs are woven into our own.
In a week where our most powerful female representative, Hillary Clinton, was scrutinized for appearing to emote while watching a live video of an assassination, this message seemed more exciting and necessary than ever.
Moms of young kids weigh more than childless women, says a new study in the journal Pediatrics. Perhaps you’ve noticed this yourself in your own anecdotal studies on the playground? It’s not earth-shattering news. What is new here are some theories about what might be causing these weight differences between mothers and childless women. When we talk about mothers’ bodies, it’s often about how hard it is to lose the leftover baby weight. But it turns out those lingering pregnancy pounds may not be the only factor. According to this study, mothers of young children consume over 300 calories a day more than their peers who don’t have kids, and more empty ones. They’re also less likely to exercise regularly. This last part was true for both mothers and fathers.
Here’s how moms stacked up: Continue reading »
Joslyn Gray 
Amber Doty 
Julianna Miner 
Monica Bielanko 
Sierra Black 
Meredith Carroll 
Carolyn Castiglia 
Sunny Chanel 
Madeline Holler 
Wendy Michaels 
Rebecca Odes 
Danielle Smith 
Danielle Sullivan 
Katherine Stone 
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