Comments on: Overheard from the Back Seat (the Back Story)

By: teeps

teeps — Mon, 13 Aug 2012 13:01:42 +0000

I understand feeling devastated by her saying she doesn’t want a baby, but think in many ways Sophie’s explanation is a huge compliment and validation of our most earnest pursuit. June Cleaver and Marion Cunningham (and often our own mothers) made mothering look so EFFORTLESS. They sold us a wicked untruth. Our kids know they’re not JUST work — they’re so much reward and compassion and beauty and laughter and cuddling (my daughter, this first morning of her senior year, crawled in bed with me at 5 am). Sophie’s a dreamer AND a realist. That, my friend, is great parenting.

(Remember when Zach was about 8 that he announced at the dinner table, “I’m going to be gay.” His perception, based on some good friends, was that you get to marry your best friend, watch Star Wars, and play video games for the rest of your life.)

By: Noan

Noan — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 14:48:17 +0000

When my younger daughter, Elizabeth, was in 2nd grade she made a card for her pregnant teacher. Inside the card she wrote: I am sorry. Your baby will make you very, very tired.

By: Karie Rusell

Karie Rusell — Sat, 11 Aug 2012 03:18:04 +0000

I traumatized my little one when she was 5. She asked me how she got out of my stomach. Showing her my C section scar “seemed” like the easy way out….. Big mistake.

By: Elaine

Elaine — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 16:09:24 +0000

Cate is right. When I was ten years old, I didn’t want a marriage or kids — and now I have both and would never want to give either up.

My own Sophie likes to speculate about whom she’ll marry: a girl? a boy? her brother? the boy she’s known since they were both babies, or the boy she met just yesterday? or maybe a boy and girl together (although I do advise her that it’s easiest to marry one person at a time)… I’m fairly certain that this speculation has very little bearing on her actual future. But, then again, I don’t have DS making everything more fraught.

By: cate

cate — Fri, 10 Aug 2012 14:41:56 +0000

She may have given up, but…she has some time to reconsider. When I was her age I wanted to be a veterinarian and have a baby named Susan. And look how that turned out.

DS makes it all so fraught. The marriage/babies thing stews around in my head sometimes. But really, who knows what will be going on in 20 or 30 years?