[Not a guest post this time, but part of the series on working and/as/while parenting.] here’s my working/parenting story: Once upon a time, two grad students had a baby. We worked too hard, absurdly long hours, and slept too little–but we had flexible work schedules and could pretty easily arrange to have one of us [...]
I use the words “parents” and “parenting” a lot. I often describe myself as a parent rather than as a mother (though I certainly use both labels). I avoid “mothers” and “fathers,” “mothering” and “fathering” because I don’t like the implications that certain parenting roles/actions are inherently feminine or masculine, that “mothers” are somehow a [...]
Have you ever noticed that when people write/talk about “working and parenting,” they all too often really just mean whether it’s a good idea to work outside the home as the mother of young children (as though there were one right answer to that question)? Or the challenges of doing that? Or the challenges of staying home with one’s children? During [...]
Dear self: You’ve been spending a lot of time huddled over the toilet or reclining in bed or on the sofa, asking Eric to get you drinks and snacks, refusing even to choose what those should be, not cooking or cleaning, not playing or planning. You mostly see yourself in the mirror red-eyed and washed-out [...]
Welcome to First the Egg, a collection of practical information, links, and cultural criticism. This site is a feminist intervention in our rigidly-gendered culture of childbirth and parenting. It aims to provide a nonsexist space for people who want to learn, reflect, commiserate, or laugh about being pregnant, giving birth, and helping children grow up whole and happy.
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working/parenting: a guest post from Jessica Montalino
Another installment in the working/parenting series. Hi First the Egg readers! Isn’t Molly awesome?! So a big thank you to her for including me in this amazing array of parents writing about working and parenting. I am Jessica Montalino (my last name is a pseudonym). I live in Western Massachusetts, with my partner Ron and my wild and boisterous [...]