Raising Self blog
Life is challenging and beautiful
Read on for meaningful and candid reflections on adulting, parenting, and more.
4 Tips for Raising Strong Girls of Color
Being black, brown, and/or Hispanic looks, sounds, and feels different depending on where you grew up, who raised you, and the perception of your local peers. But we, as guardians, are tasked with helping our daughters survive and thrive during the at times arduous journey from girl to woman.
Margaret Atwood, The MaddAddam Trilogy and Rediscovering Literary Excellence
There is something so crucial about literary art so honest and daring that it removes you from your own comfort zone and forces you to reexamine your own self and surroundings.
The last day of your 20’s
On the final morning of my twenties, I rolled over in bed and faced my husband only to find that he was already awake and creepily staring at me:
Husband: How does it feel?
Me: How does what feel?
Husband: To wake up on the final day of your 20’s?
The love we always wanted
And there it was
Waiting for us all along
Real love
Hands held tightly
Lips pressed tenderly
Forgiveness given freely
Joy accessed easily
Sexual Assault and Teaching Our Children About Consent
My husband and I have had our son’s consent talk ready. He’s only 4, so we believe we have some time before needing to have the talk, but I expect it to go something like this:
“Homie, if it’s not yes, it’s no. If it is yes, it still maybe no. If the person can’t say yes/no, it’s always no. This is still true even if she’s your wife, it seems complicated but it’s not.
My Motherhood Looks Different From Yours
“My motherhood looks different from yours.”
This is the hard conversation(s) I had to have with my mother. It happened over time. Softly. Peacefully. Harshly. Angrily. In hush tones while the baby was sleeping. Satirically, while the toddler was playing. Seriously, while I dressed her for her first day of school