Tag Archives: parenting philosophy

I’m not going to apologize for being a working mom

working mom licia ronzulli

With a little over a week left of my maternity leave, I’m rather excited to start back at work. It will be great to fill my head with other thoughts, to feel productive, and to use my brain again. I’ve missed working a lot, but it will be different to be a working mom. I’m incredibly lucky to already work from home, and I have awesome colleagues who will understand if I have to pause for a bit to take care of a crying baby.

Yes, I there are a lot of benefits to my job, and being able to work flexible hours without wearing heels is definitely a big one. However, I will still have to do tons of work, which I’m happy about. That work includes meetings, and I had originally thought that I would have to organize childcare for Harley for those times. Now, I’ve decided to take her along, and I’m not going to apologize or feel bad about it. Continue Reading

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The kind of mother I want to be

baby foot

I thought a lot about the kind of mother that I wanted to be. Before even going off the pill, I had ideas about the kind of education I wanted for my rugrat, the kinds of games I wanted him or her to play, and all the books and films I wanted to show him or her. I knew I wanted to be loving and warm and supportive. I was filled with all kinds of wonderful theories about raising a child, even as I realized that I was totally clueless. Being a mom isn’t quite what I expected… at least not at this age.

Okay, some things I’ve been able to follow through on… for the most part. In general, unless I’m on the brink of a breakdown, I don’t let my kid “just cry it out”. I don’t believe it’s healthy; it just teaches the child not to ask for help because they won’t be heard anyway. In fact, new research backs up my thoughts – the more cuddles the better, not just for infants but as they grow up, too. Of course, I sometimes beg Harley to stop crying for a few minutes, just so I can eat my meal or drink my coffee while it’s still hot. But it’s about being the kind of mother I want to be. Continue Reading

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Why my baby will be “alternative”

I am open to whoever Harley turns out to be. If she wants to wear pink and play with barbies, or wear jeans and converse and play in the mud, or even wear her pink dress in the mud as compared to staying clean inside in her overalls while reading a book – whatever this little child wants to do with herself is pretty cool with me. However, I have some alternative ideas about how I want to dress her as a baby, and the sorts of things I want at her baby shower. It’s all part of my grand plan.

For the first few months of the baby’s life, people will relate to her based on how she looks. She won’t be able to express herself and will instead be assumed to have traits depending on what she wears, her toys and whatever random stuff she decides she needs to carry around everywhere. However, the interactions with adults that she has at this stage are integral to her development; the words she hears, the tones and facial expressions will all help her understand the world around her. If she is dressed only in typical baby clothes, people will respond to her as a typical baby. However, by dressing her in fun and outrageous clothing, people will be far more likely to use higher level vocabulary when talking to her, as well as laugh a whole lot more – which is great for her development. Continue Reading

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