I always knew I wanted to have children, yet I also put off having children for a long time for a variety of reasons. I think part of that was simply that I while I wanted children someday, "having children" was a not legitimate goal in and of itself. Having a career = value. Having and caring for children = non-value. I believe this is an accurate summation. Not a single policy in American culture honors or supports mothers - from our pregnancy and birth practices to dismissing the years spent on nurturing our families as being unworthy of resume material.
Actually giving birth to and caring for my children absolutely turned my life around 180 degrees. I completely changed - ask my poor husband! I understood life and relationships in a whole new way - a way that absolutely would not have been possible without birthing my two daughters. I gave birth naturally to both my daughters and enjoyed breastfeeding them for many years. How parenting unfolded in our family taught me many invaluable lessons about love, relationships and what it means to be human. Now that I am a mother, I cannot think of anything that is more important in life than how humans are nurtured and cared for. This deeply affects all human interaction, how we feel about ourselves and how we treat our environment.
Areas I plan to explore in this blog:
- Pregnancy, birth and breastfeeding: This is the field I work in now - I am a natural childbirth educator and also volunteer to help mothers with breastfeeding. I am a total birth/breastfeeding geek and love taking seminars and learning about these subjects.
- Mothering: Our first love relationship is with our mothers; the quality of this relationship profoundly affects who we are and how we relate to others. This does not mean it is all up to mothers - society plays a huge role in how this is all unfolds.
- Daughters: I have two. My daughters and I belong to mother/daughter groups (two separate ones); I plan to share about issues and concerns as my daughters grow as well as my intention to maintain close and loving relationships with them especially through adolescence.
- Psychology: What makes us think and behave the way we do? I find people so interesting - studying motivation was something I loved as an actor. I am particularly interested in what makes people feel whole and connected, and the experience of love.
- Nutrition/Health/Wellness: I've always loved good food and been interested in being healthy. With a family to care for and protect, I am even more interested in making sure everyone is healthy - I want them around for a long time!
- Education: Learning is a life-long process - I'm still learning. I have two school-aged children. My oldest went to pre-school for part of year and then to elementary school for three. Somehow we ended up home-schooling. This was one of those situations that simply unfolded in our lives. I've come to the conclusion that it is best to never say never. I do have many concerns about how children are currently being educated in our society.
- Sustainability and Green Living: Back to the learning process here - I am just learning about this. My family has not been very sustainable except that we haven't had a lot of money so we haven't bought a whole lot. And I do compost in a haphazard type of way. Still, we need to make some major improvements here. I plan to chronicle our progress in this area. Our Mother Earth needs to be respected and honored, too.
This blog is my exploration - my journey - my voice. You are welcome to join me. I hope that some of what I write may inspire and encourage you to live your life wholly, consciously and with love.
Warmly,
Susan
Photo credits: Bronze statue - Mercuryrabbit; Monkeys - Scotcrow
Photos courtesy of Flickr
