Before takeoff, airline flight attendants direct passengers to put on their own oxygen mask before helping anyone else in the case of an emergency. My motherly instincts tell me to put children before myself; I would rather suffocate than have a child next to me run out of air. Logic tells me, though, that if […]
pregnancy
How Speaking Shame Defeats its Power
Keeping a diary is a favorite pastime of mine. As a pre-teen, I wrote my most secret of secrets in a journal with a lock. I kept the key hidden in my jewelry box; but that didn’t matter once my brother figured out how to pick the lock. One reason I feel motivated to keep […]
The Adoption Inquisition
“Didn’t you have a baby?” I was at the gym. A girl who knows both me and my baby’s father spotted me and said hello. Then she immediately pounced on the subject of my pregnancy. “Well, yes.” I hesitated before mumbling, “I decided to give him for adoption.” “Oh, Emily! I’m so sorry! If you […]
Unplanned Pleasantries
As a little girl, I had big dreams. I wanted to be a college graduate, a wife, a mother. I’ve achieved these dreams, but not in the way my little girl imagination had laid it out. In the perfect world inside my head, I thought I would go to college, find a husband, start a […]
An Alternative to the ‘Fight or Flight’ Response
Picture yourself walking through the woods. The tree leaves dance in the sunshine, the moss is a thick carpet under your feet, the air feels fresh and clean. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice something move. Then it stands up. Whirling around, you spot a giant black bear, less than a hundred […]