By Georgene Smith Goodin — 2016
My status as a foster parent is ambiguous by nature. Do I count as a mom? Legally? No.
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CLEAR ALL
Some of us regret what we did, some of us regret what we didn’t do… some of us regret all of the above. And since “motherhood without regrets” is really not a thing, let’s have a conversation about how we can soothe the pain of regret in motherhood.
The idea that parents could regret their children is inescapably taboo. In an era of baby worship, it’s cross-culturally ingrained and glorified that all individuals, especially women, should want to have children.
It's hard enough for women to talk about not wanting to become mothers at all, or to admit it isn't all its cracked up to be, but imagine the experience for women who straight-up discover it is not a good fit, a troubling experience, a series of disappointments, a bum deal? There is no good way to...
Regret is a common emotion experienced by parents. If you find yourself experiencing regret, it doesn’t make you a bad parent, and rest assured that you are not alone. It is important to acknowledge the regret and take steps to cope.
Parenthood can be scary, challenging, and stressful — and it’s OK to admit that.
It was a slow realization, taking years to accept and even more time to consider. But I regret that I had children.
Stepparenting itself— that is, forming a relationship with someone else's kid— isn't the hard part. It's the intense, conflicted emotions you experience as part of the transition into becoming a stepparent that are the real killer.
Many stepmothers begin the commitment phase of their relationships with an engagement ring. Women who love men with children hear the statistical improbability of successful remarriage and dismiss it, knowing in their hearts that theirs is the love that will beat the odds.
It is one thing to be a parent. It is another thing entirely to be a stepparent. Taking on the role of becoming a stepmom to kids that may have not known you previously can come with its own set of rules and challenges. It is up to you to fully understand what you are up against as a stepmom
We weren’t going to assign a gender or disclose their reproductive anatomy to people who didn’t need to know, and we were going to use the gender-neutral personal pronouns they, them and their.