What ensnares women today is not that different from what ensnared them when our mothers were young. Instead of being the best wife, however, we’ve moved on to being the best mother. And even if we follow all the rules and recommendations, more rules will come along to show us that we’ve failed (that Fisher Price bike holds an electronic tablet for more ridicule-worthy screen time). We no longer worry about what our husband thinks of our hands, but we sure do worry that our son’s packed lunch won’t measure up to the one we saw on Instagram.
Read moreFree-Range Parenting Will Take Guts, Groups
Maybe moms finally have gotten tired of hovering over every art project. Maybe they are sick of the kids being inside. Maybe they’ve finally realized they don’t really want to sit and make small talk with someone else while their children have a playdate. (The best kind of “play dates,” by the way, are the ones where the mom drops off her kid so mine is entertained and I can mop the kitchen floor.)
Read moreWhat My Children Taught Me About Politics
Photo by Andrea Hand Photography. Smiley's son on the shoulders of Maine Representative Mike Michaud.
My husband was on a year-long deployment overseas, and for each week that he was gone, we filled his empty seat at the dinner table with a new stranger. We hosted authors, musicians, school teachers, athletes, artists and even a zookeeper. We also hosted community and government leaders- - from both sides of the aisle.
Read moreThe Physics of a Sunset, Mother's Love
I think the best part of the sunset is after the sun has gone down. That’s when light reflects off some clouds and casts shadows on others. The colors turn warm — orange, red, and sometimes purple. If the sky is just right, the colors can even cast a glow on people’s faces. “Yeah, but then the sun is gone,” Ford said. “It’s already set.”
Read moreThe Second Biggest Secret Parents Keep
I was truly horrified when Ford learned to ride a bike eight years ago. I actually needed to go inside and let Dustin handle the lessons. In one afternoon, my firstborn child became intimately familiar with the pavement — except for the time he catapulted himself forward off the bike and landed in a bush.
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