Parenting
The Imperfect Parent's archive of parenting articles and essays
Parenting Methods: Mommy I'm A Gas Station
We've all been there... right?!
By Antigone Arthur
We all screw up as parents at some time or another. Just three days ago I left my 2 month old, 17... read more From the Gentle Discipline Files
Seemingly an oxymoron.
By Stacey Greenberg
Frazzled, new mother of two with a stern look and serious voice says, “Satchel. Do. Not. Hit. The. Baby.”
Two-year-old... read more Knock, Knock
Technology opened doors for my daughter.
By Misty Karam
Our youngest daughter stands at the door, knocking loudly. She raises her eyebrows and points to her... read more More Parenting Methods
| Family Size: Going Sterile
We're done.
By Laura Shovan
The instant my kids lost their baby pudge – friends thought it was high time to ask, “Are... read more Everyone's Opinion
It takes a village -- a nosy, busybody, opinionated village.
By Jennifer Grissom
Deciding to have a child is certainly one of the biggest decisions that a person will ever make in their... read more My Only Child
There can be only one.
By Victoria Clayton Munn
I am the mother of one perfect daughter. She's pretty, sweet, intelligent and a handful. My little girl... read more More Family Size
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Nutrition & Health: HMOM
Attention all expectant mothers: be your own healthcare advocate!
By Pam Mitchell Mangas
Health has never been a big concern in my life. As a child, my mother chose to avoid the doctor because... read more Sugar On My Mind
Why I became a sugar addict, and why my mother is to blame.
By Melanie Springer Mock
One kitchen drawer holds my candy: Sweet Tarts, Sugar Babies, Spree, Gobstoppers. It’s not inconspicuous,... read more Donuts Anonymous
Hi, my name is Karrie and I'm a donutaholic.
By Karrie McAllister
We moms, including myself, talk a big game when it comes to the extreme measures we take to feed our... read more More Nutrition & Health
| General Parenting: REM Commando
Queen Super Sleep strikes back
By Kim Lachance Shandrow
You’d think the exhaustion of pregnancy and childbirth would prepare you for the marathon sleepless... read more What We Don't Get
Being a devoted mother needs no excuses.
By Kristy Dallas Alley
My husband recently subscribed my email address to receive the New York Times arts headlines... read more My Super *Bleep* Sixteen
By Cyn Vela
I am watching MTV's "My Super Sweet Sixteen", as a girl sneers and gripes her way through... read more More General Parenting
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Child Behavior: The Consequences
Meet your new family.
By Carmella Van Vleet
The problem with being a parent today is that there is nothing good... read more Stretch Marks
Can I just jump straight to grandmother-hood?
By Angelique Johnston
I want to be a grandmother. Yes, I’ve decided that is why I started this journey into motherhood. I am... read more The Note
Where could he have gone?
By Michelle Kennedy
6 a.m. on Saturday morning is not my favorite time of day. O.K. -- 6 a.m. on any morning is not my... read more More Child Behavior
| Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding: Machinery I Have Loved
The love between a mother and her pump knows no bounds.
By Stacey Greenberg
The Medela... read more It Was My Choice
On breastfeeding, medication, and choices.
By Lindsey Rock
Before I had Harper I knew I would breastfeed her. I did not know of anyone currently breastfeeding and... read more (No) Thanks for the Mammaries
The best-laid plans...
By Rosie Gorelik
In 1998 most moms-to-be knew that breast was best way to feed their babies, but I had my doubts. Having... read more More Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding
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Family: Family Vacations Gone Awry
Sometimes surviving a family vacation takes more than sunscreen and bug repellent.
By Aimee Cirucci
Family vacations are as American as apple pie, and as seasonal as watermelon. As we bask in summer sun,... read more Formerly a Mom
The other end of the spectrum.
By Jacki Harris
As I sat in my rocking chair not long ago, I vividly recalled scooping a sobbing child into my arms and... read more The Great Cake War
Officer Black Forest reporting for duty.
By JD Jolicoeur
We were finishing our coffee after a late supper at the in-laws and I casually mentioned that we would... read more More Family
| Child Safety: Chris Hansen
The famous face of the To Catch a Predator series talks about his motivation, his new book, and the most disturbing thing he's witnessed during production.
Chris Hansen is the correspondent for the Dateline NBC show, To Catch a Predator, which has... read more The Predator's Web
Child predators find safe haven and support online.
Most parents certainly have an awareness of the threats of children being online, where they can easily... read more Handle With Care
Caution: filling may be hot when dropped on an infant.
By Jay Allen
A few nights back Kim and I were scrambling to get dinner together before she had to dash off. Amidst... read more More Child Safety
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Pregnancy: Speedy Delivery
Want a fast labor? Think again.
By Melanie Henson
My first labor was long, painful and augmented with Pitocen -- what I affectionately call "the Devil... read more Birth Control
Whatever happened to the waiting room?
By Timothy J. Coles
I will start out by telling you that my youngest child is now old enough to vote. This is a matter... read more The Test
Denial's not a river in Egypt...
By Glen Dudasik
It was the proverbial 400-pound gorilla and it followed us everywhere. It was with us when we went... read more More Pregnancy
| Grief/Loss: Not Another Flower
By Alice J. Wisler
There was a day when the sun ceased to shine. You may have missed it; it didn’t make the headlines... read more More Grief/Loss
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Love & Marriage: Dear Trey
A colorful love letter on this day of the patron saint of candy hearts and chocolate.
By Misty Nuckolls
A few months ago, my husband Trey and I celebrated our third wedding anniversary. I know that doesn't... read more Finding True Romance
Your husband vs. sexy ghost.
By Lizbeth Finn-Arnold
I was driving in my car, listening to the radio, when a local radio station announced that it had been... read more How to Get Laid
Dads, there is nothing sexier than doing the dishes... except vacuuming
By Stacey Greenberg
There was a time when I fantasized about my husband coming home, grabbing me lustfully, throwing me on... read more More Love & Marriage
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All of the Parenting archive:
Baby No Sleeping
The Giving-Up Guide for Parents Who Can't Get Their Kids to Sleep
By Nell McCarthy
Co-Sleep or No Sleep
Why I chose to share my bed.
By Candace Juman Martin
Detachment Parenting
AP? It's just not my thing.
By Kelly Reising
From the Gentle Discipline Files
Seemingly an oxymoron.
By Stacey Greenberg
He's a Baby, Not an Accessory
"You have to bring the baby!"
By Rachel Pelta Golinkin
Hypocrisy
Learning to let go.
By Mary Ellen Galloway
Just Say No
The power of two letters.
By Kim Montes
Knock, Knock
Technology opened doors for my daughter.
By Misty Karam
Momifesto
What I learned the hard way through extreme Attachment Parenting
By Juliet Carson-Martinez
Mommy I'm A Gas Station
We've all been there... right?!
By Antigone Arthur
Nature vs. Nurture
You're gonna turn him gay.
By Cindy Morrow
New Use for a Mannequin
Being cheap takes creativity.
By Silvana Clark
Our Son, the Man
"Daddy" is noticibly missing from his vocabulary...
By Prescott Carlson
Poor Reception
Could I finally wean my family off TV?
By Liz Jones
Queen of Nags
Mommy needed her serfs to self-govern.
By Kelly Curtis
Roles of a Father
My son is no longer master of his domain.
By Dave Seyfried
That Mom
Is this what they think of me or what I think of me?
By Candace Juman Martin
The Little White Pill
Was my daughter doing drugs?
By Mary Laufer
The New AP
Trying to strike a balance.
By Sherry Osborne
The Peanut Gallery
What do cowboys and marionettes have to do with sex?
By Scott Warner
Who's the Fuddy Duddy?
My, how times have changed.
By Erica Manfred
Born (Child)Free
Some breed, some screed...
By Alan Thomas
Everyone's Opinion
It takes a village -- a nosy, busybody, opinionated village.
By Jennifer Grissom
Going Sterile
We're done.
By Laura Shovan
My Only Child
There can be only one.
By Victoria Clayton Munn
Oops, I Did It Again
I've been promoted to "father of two"
By Prescott Carlson
Spinach and Birth Control
Doing my part.
By Bryan W. Fields
A Gourmet Wannabe Drops Out
I'm throwing in the kitchen towel.
By Sherry G. Antonetti
Colic
This is not how it was supposed to be.
By Nancy Bleemer
Complainer or Advocate?
What does it take to make a change for the better?
By Joy Jarman-Walsh
Doctor, Heal Thyself
Why is an m.d. spewing advice about child psychology?
By Prescott Carlson
Donuts Anonymous
Hi, my name is Karrie and I'm a donutaholic.
By Karrie McAllister
Gene Pool Dating?
Women, let this be a guide; don’t worry about being rejected by a boyfriend because he doesn’t love you.
By Jennifer Cummins
HMOM
Attention all expectant mothers: be your own healthcare advocate!
By Pam Mitchell Mangas
It's Not My Fault!
Finally, we have a scapegoat!
By Kerrie Flanagan
Parenting After Breast Cancer
Raising kids after the "Big C".
By Julia Nelson
Pocket Full of Crypto-nite
Everybody poops.
By Angela Patton
Pole Dancing Mama
My new exercise routine.
By Esme Mills
Sick Days
I don't feel so good...
By Peggy Duffy
Sugar On My Mind
Why I became a sugar addict, and why my mother is to blame.
By Melanie Springer Mock
Third Millennium Mom
Combining
50s home-goodness with today’s work ethic – is this a realistic expectation for
women?
By Rita Fiorentino
Want Fries With That Cow?
My son contemplates the origin of meat.
By Prescott Carlson
A Mother's Day Wish
Remembering Mom.
By Lori Sender
Adjusting
I don't know how you do it.
By Kristy Dallas Alley
Baby Preschool
A new kind of homeschooling.
By Beth Hering
Before and After
What a difference 6 years makes.
By Kimberly Younkin
Being Literal
A Cesarean delivery is permanent birth control.
By Carolyn Aspenson
Being the Mom
It's my turn to play dress-up.
By Kim Montes
Blood Trolls
My foster home for abandoned bands.
By Joy Greenberg
Chew Marks
The conflict between the parenting and creative experience.
By Arianne Cope
Curse of the Diaper Genie
Going nuclear.
By Anne Nahm
Daisy Guilt
Overcoming my Post-Traumatic Girl Scout Stress Disorder.
By Joan Alexander
Dating the Preschool Parents
What should I wear?
By Juliet Johnson
Doing Their Jobs
All in a kid's days work
By Lizbeth Finn-Arnold
Fear Factor Day
Don't try this at home.
By Jan Castagnaro
First Grade
Mother, daughter, saved.
By Miriam Peskowitz
First Moments
A mother stops to reflect on the little things.
By Jennifer Grissom
Football Banter
The Super Bowl brings back football memories.
By Diane Payne
He's Making a List
Santa is more real than ever.
By Lauri Griffin
Here's To The Rest of Us
Happy Mother's Day, dammit.
By Misty Nuckolls
In Training
Tricks are for kids!
By Danielle Mutarelli
International Kids
Globetrotting with children presents unique challenges.
By Lesley Robinson
Invasion of the Barbie Dolls
The blonde bombshell made a sneak attack on our playroom.
By Alexandra Gordon
Kid Sense
If only more adults had it.
By Michele Miles Gardiner
Leaps and Bounds
A super hero we can look up to.
By Jennifer Strain
Life's Not Fair
No tooth, no money.
By Felice Prager
Mama's Intuition
I seem to be missing something.
By Regina Walker
Mommy Material? Not Me!
I'm just not a plop-down person.
By Hyla Sabesin Finn
My Journey Through Bipolar Motherhood
One mom's unconventional route to becoming a parent.
By Laura Yeager
My Mother Always Said...
The neverending influence of Mom.
My Super *Bleep* Sixteen
By Cyn Vela
Myth Buster
The Tooth Fairy and my middle child.
By Alexandra Gordon
Not So Merry Go Round
I lost my youth at the carnival.
By Emma Yenko
On Second Chances
There's always tomorrow.
By Angela Patton
Our Gang
No parents allowed.
By Lori Sender
Pieces
Someday they will fit together again.
By Ashley Hogan
Poor Cindermama
What's a mom got to do to get to the ball?
By Lizbeth Finn-Arnold
Project Runaway
I like shopping... by myself.
By Melanie Lynne Hauser
Pulling Teeth
"Is the dentist pulling my tooth out today?"
By Sarah Raymond
REM Commando
Queen Super Sleep strikes back
By Kim Lachance Shandrow
Sanity At Stake: Direct Market Diapers
I'm more than a demographic.
By Nancy Rabinowitz
Signed, The Laundry Management
A new discovery while doing the wash.
By Kimberly Ripley
Stage Dad
My son's first day of work.
By Clay Champlin
Starting Over
What will you do?
By Rita Fiorentino
TGIF
SAHMs look forward to Friday, too.
By Elizabeth Thompson
The Barney Question
In defense of the purple dinosaur everyone loves to hate.
By Candace Juman Martin
The Bathing Suits
How we went to the beach after giving birth.
By Stacy Mintzer Herlihy
The Dinner Hour
Parenting is nothing if not humbling.
By Jamie Pearson
The Driving Lesson
My heart's still beating fast.
By Susan Stephenson
The Drowning Pool
Sink or swim.
By Rosie Gorelik
The Elusive Playdate
It's the dating game all over again.
By Lori Sender
The Living Will
My daughter's will may be greater than my own...
By Diane Payne
The Mighty Mississippi
Ol' Man River's got nothing on me.
By Linda Downing Miller
The Pool Party
By Christina Deanne
The Swing Set
If you build it, they will prefer the old one.
By Angie Weatherly
Walking the Tightrope
Everything was fine until Susan screamed.
By Tish Davidson
Watermarked Dreams
Has a simple stain become my omen?
By Karen Pruitt Fowler
What We Didn't Do This Summer
Our summer was not a verb.
By Sherry G. Antonetti
What We Don't Get
Being a devoted mother needs no excuses.
By Kristy Dallas Alley
You Can't Take It With You
I just want to take it. Just this. Nothing else.
By Juliet Johnson
Alizilla
Tokyo had it easy.
By Andrea Finefrock
Don't Think You're So Important
Get off your parenting high horse.
By Lauri Kubuitsile
Expectations
Our kids don't always follow the program.
By Jennifer Grissom
First Flight
A look at the fear of flying... with an infant.
By Tracy B. McGinnis
Five Little Monkeys
Further proof of a missing link.
By Heidi Campbell
I'm the Mom (Like It or Not)
You had to get up and pee, didn't you?
By Jamie Odeneal
Imelda in the Making
Carrie Bradshaw would be proud.
By Stacey Greenberg
Language Acquisition
My kids are expanding their vocabularies...
By Joanna Nesbit
Old Yeller
CAN YOU HEAR ME NOW??
By Juliet Johnson
Peace Now, Not War
Peacemaking starts at home.
By Kate Haas
Stretch Marks
Can I just jump straight to grandmother-hood?
By Angelique Johnston
The Consequences
Meet your new family.
By Carmella Van Vleet
The Master Mind
On the brink of insanity.
By Andrea Atkinson
The No-Fear Option
Just wait 'til your father gets home!
By Mark Montgomery
The Note
Where could he have gone?
By Michelle Kennedy
Tough Girl
My daughter has an aggressive streak.
By Susan Cuadrado
When It's Someone Else's Child
It takes a village?
By Bryan Johnston
Where Did My Baby Go?
Don't you wish they could stay little forever? No, really!
By Jennifer Grissom
Whose Poop Is This?
I’ve become a shit archaeologist.
By Margaret Curran
Willow Trees
By T. Jackson Anderson
| Breastfeeding vs. Formula Feeding: |
(No) Thanks for the Mammaries
The best-laid plans...
By Rosie Gorelik
I Am Not a Bad Mommy
Dispelling the evils of formula feeding.
By Victoria Clayton Munn
Imperfections
Further defining the "right to choose".
By Jessica Carlson
It Was My Choice
On breastfeeding, medication, and choices.
By Lindsey Rock
Lactation In Style
Is this pump the new Prada?
By Amy Yelin
Machinery I Have Loved
The love between a mother and her pump knows no bounds.
By Stacey Greenberg
A Frog Named French Fry
With my three boys, he didn't have a chance...
By Kelly Miller
Burial at Sea
We gather here today to celebrate Beatil...
By Angie Weatherly
Family Vacations Gone Awry
Sometimes surviving a family vacation takes more than sunscreen and bug repellent.
By Aimee Cirucci
Formerly a Mom
The other end of the spectrum.
By Jacki Harris
My Brother's Keeper?!?
A four-year-old's journey into sibling-dom.
By Jessica Carlson
Of Mice And Kids
I had honorable intentions.
By Margaret Curran
Sleeping In
My first morning of staying in bed late -- sort of.
By Daphne Dykeman
Snack Insanity
This organized snack thing has clearly gotten out of hand.
By Zelda Gorman
The Great Cake War
Officer Black Forest reporting for duty.
By JD Jolicoeur
Basement Dweller
Hey neighbor! Can I borrow a cup of crack?
By Robin Dutton-Cookston
Chris Hansen
The famous face of the To Catch a Predator series talks about his motivation, his new book, and the most disturbing thing he's witnessed during production.
Cyber Warriors
A new breed of superheroes battle online child predators.
Handle With Care
Caution: filling may be hot when dropped on an infant.
By Jay Allen
The Predator's Web
Child predators find safe haven and support online.
Birth Control
Whatever happened to the waiting room?
By Timothy J. Coles
My Pregnant Lungs
Just breathe.
By Juliet Johnson
Second Time Around
Me and my lists.
By Candace Juman Martin
Speedy Delivery
Want a fast labor? Think again.
By Melanie Henson
The Bathroom Baby Saga
A different kind of home birth.
By Michelle Foreman Kauthen
The Test
Denial's not a river in Egypt...
By Glen Dudasik
Not Another Flower
By Alice J. Wisler
Dear Trey
A colorful love letter on this day of the patron saint of candy hearts and chocolate.
By Misty Nuckolls
Finding True Romance
Your husband vs. sexy ghost.
By Lizbeth Finn-Arnold
How to Get Laid
Dads, there is nothing sexier than doing the dishes... except vacuuming
By Stacey Greenberg
Scientific Studies from the Male Point of View
What's behind door number two?
By Karen Laven
The Warp Speed Of Sexuality
Sometimes living in the age of sexuality is tiring.
By Lauri Kubuitsile
