They’ll tell you you’re BRILLIANT and AMAZING. They’ll remind you that you made a whole human person out of the thinnest of air out of misted dreams you didn’t know were there out of back-ache and heart-ache and nausea out of oh-so-little sleep This human person, this bag of bones, this snuggly bundle of […]
You probably need this book, either for yourself, or for a dear friend. The hilarious, empathetic and sweary Emily Writes has followed up her first essay collection Rants in the Dark with a second collection, Is It Bedtime Yet? This time, with typical generosity, and an eye to telling more people’s stories than just […]
Due to recent events with Metiria Turei, we have been hearing about the struggles that single parents experienced in the 1980s and 1990s. Those of us who lived those times as children are now adults; a lot of us will now be raising families of our own. I am the child of a solo mother, […]
A warm welcome to Penny Ehrhardt! Penny runs a public policy consultancy called Ehrhardt Advisors. She is a writer, researcher, international human rights law practitioner, parent, Soka Gakkai Buddhist, and lifelong feminist. Formerly based in Napier, New Zealand, she is currently undertaking doctoral research into the economic and social rights of single-parent families at Oxford […]
‘Ten minutes’ as in that’s how long these bliss balls will last before you’ve scoffed the whole batch. Oh, and also they take about that long to make. Very occasionally I write up a recipe on this blog, mostly because I’m feeling so flipping proud of myself for having developed something. I don’t loooooove […]
Michaela Cisney is executive director and founder of Priyam Global, a US-based international health organisation that works in India to tackle root issues of poverty for children affected by disability and their families. She also works as a freelance communications consultant for a large humanitarian agency. Michaela lives and works between Indiana, USA and Chennai, […]
Parenting is flipping hard work, yes? You’re responsible for, as my friend Jess says, tiny sociopaths. They’re cute, sure, but they have little in the way of empathy, self-control, or social graces. You get no sick leave. You’re operating on so little sleep that serious reading now means clicking ‘see more’ on Facebook. Communities like […]
Do you know someone with PND/PPD? The answer is ‘yes’ Around 10-15% of women who give birth experience postnatal depression, so if you know more than eight women who are mothers, you probably know someone who has been through it – whether she knew that’s what it was or not. Here are two facts you […]
A very warm welcome to first-time guest poster, Lisa Sengelow! I invited Lisa to write this post about the impact of Naomi Wolf’s book on her, expanding on a comment she made in a feminist mother’s Facebook group we are both part of. She wrote such a brilliant piece – this post right here! – that […]
A warm welcome to Kathryn, sharing the story of a very difficult year of motherhood. This was originally written several years ago. Next week is my baby’s first birthday. And I’m not planning a party or celebration of any kind. I don’t think I would cope very well with that right now, and I don’t […]