• Created on 12/21/10 by AdinaL

by Jake Aryeh Marcus Find Sustainable Mothering on Facebook and Jake on Twitter. I got a fundraising e-mail from Amnesty International the other day. It was from a celebrity, as so many non-profit fundraising e-mails are. But this one really made me stop and look. It was from actor Patrick Stewart and it was about supporting Amnesty International’s campaign concerning violence against women. He wrote: I know too much about violence against women – as a child I watched in terror as my mother was abused by an angry and unhappy man who could not... read more

• Created on 11/22/10 by AdinaL

  I had a six-month old and a two-and-a-half year old, when I did my first “Momma Trade.” I met a woman at the park who had children the same age as mine. We connected immediately and began talking about being with the children full-time. We both loved being with our kids, however, we had paper-work and creative projects that we wanted to attend to and found it nearly impossible to split focus while tending to our children. We started to brainstorm a situation wherein we could meet at one of our homes and one of us would retreat to a... read more

• Created on 7/28/10 by AdinaL

Good evening, friends. My children enjoyed a lovely summer day with neighbors and good friends. We have an urban, collective sort of farm going on and between three houses we have chickens, bunnies, fish, cats, hamsters, and a pig! And we live in West Los Angeles! So, the children were frolicking and running between the houses. They swam in the house with a pool, took a bath with six kids in a tub, face-painted, water-colored, rode bikes; a gorgeous offering of yumminess in my oh-so-humble opinion. Then it came time to leave the fun and accompany Mom (me) on some... read more

• Created on 12/12/08 by Mothering Editorial

Pale, thin In that bed waiting. at eighty your skin glows you promised me your mother's recipe for homemade facials teach me how to mint pure cider vinegar to freshen me. until today you only taught me of hot toddies and plum jam. I am listening teach me the old ways I need your living yeast your apron around me grainy with flour measure me the recipes your mother made you practice 'til you knew their feel. I have not put in my time. Teach me with your own hands blue-veined, crooked hands you worked so hard to shape hands that birthed my mother, my... read more

• Created on 12/12/08 by Mothering Editorial

I should have known you would eat artichokes in this way: diving into their centers like a bee in flowers, searching for nectar, for what you need to create honey from your small body. You peel away petals, dip passionately in white sauce, creamy like my milk you savored those four sweet years. Mom, watch how I do it, you say, scrape the meat with baby teeth. Together we peel as each inner layer reveals increasingly tender leaves that lead to the heart. You at my left breast, ready. And me peeling shirt, bra. Then your tiny hand reaching to my center as you... read more

• Created on 4/9/09 by Mothering Editorial

By Joy JohnsonIssue 122 (January/February 2004) "Divorce takes place between mothers and fathers. You are not to blame if your parents get divorced. Parents divorce when they don't love each other or can't get along together anymore, no matter how hard they try." Those are the first lines of the first page of Dinosaurs Divorce, the best book written for small children whose parents are separating for good (see sidebar). But just a few years ago, that book would not have been written. I was born in 1938. In my 65 years I've seen a lot of changes, many of them good. One... read more

• Created on 1/26/11 by Mothering Editorial

By Rosemary Danielis Web Exclusive Ah, those preconceived notions – they’ll take you down the Wrong Road every time. When your eyes are clouded with all you wish, want and will something to be, you are bound to end up missing all the great information and truths offered to you along the way. When my husband and I began our little family we had nine glorious months to prepare (in our minds) for the perfect little baby we were about to have. When that day came and our first daughter was born, we began to play out our lives just as we had planned. Being an active, social... read more

• Created on 4/6/10 by Mothering Editorial

By Sharon Swanson Web Exclusive, September 25, 2006 When they advertised a Boy/Girl lacrosse league I never dreamed that my daughter would be the girl. But she was determined to follow in the lacrosse tradition of her father and her uncles. As we went to the open tryouts I carefully scanned the crowd for other helmets hiding the telltale ponytail. When none was evident, I asked if I had the wrong field, perhaps the wrong night? No, and no. I anxiously watched as my novice eight-year-old stood in drill lines with much bigger, obviously experienced ten-year-olds. Her... read more

• Created on 5/15/10 by Mothering Editorial

My 2.5 year old daughter screams and kicks her heels on the floor in a tantrum. My response has been to try to avoid it, to hold her feet down while telling her to be kind to her body, and also leaving the room and letting her get it out. For the past few weeks she has also been waking up in a tantrum in the middle of the night, we are not able to touch her/comfort her in any way untill she gets a little calmed and every attempt escalates the behavior. Last night my husband stepped in and he spanked her, which got her to stop kicking and screaming and plead for "down,... read more

• Created on 11/14/09 by mamazee

Over the past few years I’ve become keenly aware of the social fragmentation in our society. What began as a personal experience of feeling somewhat isolated as a parent trying to make my way quickly evolved into a full time examination of family, community and social structures in our society. As a psychotherapist in private practice, I also noticed that an increasingly high percentage of my clients were having similar struggles. In many families both parents had to work, which meant that they had little time left for grocery shopping and preparing... read more