About the “What Works for Us” Category

I am not an “expert” in any field, but I am an experienced parent and childcare provider. In these roles I have discovered solutions that work for me and the kids in my life. Some work so well that I would like to shout them to the world.

However, I HATE being told what to do and a vividly recall the anger rising up from the midst of my post partum fog when everyone from the supermarket clerk, to my extended family, to a stranger at the dog park seemed to have an opinion about how I should care for my child. I placated them all with the response that I would consider their advice or ask about it at the new moms support group or breastfeeding support group at my local hospital. In the meantime I relied on trial and error and trusted my instincts while filling in the gaps using online resources like the Berkeley Parents Network and sometimes even embracing the unsolicited advice I had at first resented.

So in these posts I will shout our successes (and maybe even our failures) to the world, and I hope that letting it out in writing will help me to keep my mouth shut when I see the new moms in my life struggling and to support them in whatever way they ask while they find their own way.