From the Trenches of Parenthood – An Amusing View

Mother’s Day Series – Thursday

It’s hard to believe, but I once had trouble getting pregnant (even though I went on to have four babies.) But thanks to a dirty-haired OB/GYN doc and a special drug called Clomid, my infertility lasted only a few months. Exactly one year after I swallowed my first Clomid pill, I gave birth to a sweet baby girl.

I left the hospital with a baby, a car seat and one very sore va-jay-jay. I knew very little about parenting and

Your pregnancy – girl or boy

Mother’s Day Series – Monday

This Mother’s Day series is dedicated to all the moms, grandmas, step-moms, aunts, sisters, Godmothers and friends who have played that mom role at one time or another.  It takes a special person to look a child in the eyes and love unconditionally — all the while completely understanding why some animals actually eat their young.

During your pregnancy, you likely have heard many wives tales that address the “girl or boy” issue.  Back in 1983 when I was pregnant with my first child, ultrasounds were performed on a limited basis. With the technology somewhat new (and pricey), most doctors only ordered one ultrasound, unless there were complications or a disputed due date. Unfortunately my pregnancy didn’t warrant more than one ultrasound, which was performed far before my baby’s sex organs were visible, and done by a doctor who later was imprisoned for a sex crime – but that’s a whole other story.  So I resorted to wives’ tales and

Mother of Five – Not a Big Fan of Kids

Recently my boyfriend and I were having a discussion about children.  Now for some people I can see where that could be a difficult discussion, but for me – it’s all good.  You see, I am a widowed mother of five – their ages range from 16 to 26.  The issue that came up in our discussion that made him a little uncomfortable was discovering that I really don’t like kids. 

First off, let me begin by clearing the air – I really don’t even like calling him “boyfriend” – I mean, he’s 46 for God’s sake.  THAT clearly is not a boy.  Now my son who is 16 – he definitely falls into the “boyfriend” category – not mine of course, but that of his girlfriend Lauren, who I prefer to call “the elf,” but that’s a whole other story that is related to her twinkly eyes, pixie-like haircut, and curled up shoes.  But I digress …

So the other night when my “man friend” heard me say, “I don’t really even like kids,” I don’t know why he was so confused.  I can clearly recall at least two or three conversations we’ve had over the past year we’ve been together in which I’ve made this same statement.  For some reason I must have seemed more serious or genuine this time about my child-dislike – or perhaps it was the overall conversation that he found most disturbing.