by Kira Hazledine | Let's Talk
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine We were supposed to be playing games and singing songs at the local parent resource center, where I have made friends with other moms and my daughter has benefited from socialization and education. Instead, we were huddled quietly in a...
by Kira Hazledine | Health, On Motherhood
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Let’s start with privilege. People get up in arms about the word, as if they can help what they were born into. Genetics, society, whatever. You’re right, you can’t. Which is exactly why it’s so important to own it. Privilege isn’t...
by Kira Hazledine | On Motherhood
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine I still float around my birth board when I’m feeding my infant in the middle of the night and there’s nothing better to do, and I can’t help but peruse the posts where women are asking if men are all the same. “My husband works long...
by Shadra Bruce | Adult Children, Toddlers, Work at Home
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce Living with toddlers is hard. I freely admit I am a control freak. So is my husband. We like everything just. so. We have our reasons – it’s partly in our personalities, and it’s partly because we run a fast-paced,...
by Kira Hazledine | Let's Talk
I have questions. What would you say to your child, lying in a hospital bed, suffering from a completely preventable disease? A 6 year old Oregon boy contracted the first case of tetanus in 30 years, and after reading the story of his suffering, I have so. many....
by Kira Hazledine | Let's Talk
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Honestly, I’m not a big fan of the gender neutral mantra. I think the notion (as it stands in current mainstream society) misses the mark. I consider it a third box to shove kids in, as they get lost in a sea of grey and “they.”...
by Shadra Bruce | Home and Hearth, Travel
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce It’s a bill of goods we all get sold. Home ownership is the height of the American dream. Once you own a home you have security and a place to call your own. You’ve made it. Well, I own a very beautiful home that has provided...
by Kira Hazledine | On Motherhood
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Children force at least a little bit of socialization. It’s good for them to make friends, and for our children to do that, it means we have to take them public places. The only real problem is that their moms are usually there, too....
by Kira Hazledine | On Motherhood
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine Moms already know that waiting six weeks for a postpartum check is bullshit. By the time a doctor gets around to asking you how you’re doing, you’ve already gone through the process of sink or swim. Help should be given much sooner,...
by Kira Hazledine | Parenting
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine I am a summer child. I despise winter and everything about it. I don’t enjoy snow, or cold, or skiing, or anything related to winter. It’s not fun. I don’t like sweaters or hot cocoa or curling up by the fire. I want a beach and ocean...
by Kira Hazledine | On Motherhood
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine I joke quite a bit about the not-so-satisfying aspects of motherhood. This shit is hard, ok? There’s something to be said about comedic relief. Although cleaning diarrhea off my floor isn’t my favorite activity, and I’m not the biggest...
by Shadra Bruce | Family, Love, Resolving Conflict
Getting Real with Shadra Bruce My notion of what defines family has changed over time. When I was growing up, my family was big and glorious and messy and wonderful. I grew up surrounded by 16 aunts and uncles, 6 great aunts and uncles, 3 sets of grandparents, and 2...
by Kira Hazledine | Health, Parenting
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine “I’m fine.” What does the phrase really mean? Sure, we hear the stereotypical tale of the woman who says, “I’m fine,” in an argument. Is she ever really fine? Not at all. It’s almost a dare to the person on the other side of the...
by Kira Hazledine | Breastfeeding, On Motherhood
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine I never intended to co-sleep with either child. I co-slept with my oldest for two years before we finally moved her to her own room, and even now, one of us finds ourselves in her bed in the early hours of the morning. It didn’t start...
by Kira Hazledine | Love, Resolving Conflict
Getting Real with Kira Hazledine My daughter is two going on three, and she is very observant of everything around her. She mimics the casual comments in the household and quotes her favorite movies. She is aware of when and why people come and go, whether it’s work...
