Parenting Archives - Public Ponder

When My Father Became a Revered Elder

My father reminds me of the ogre Shrek: grumpy, odd, impatient, looking to be left alone, but at the same time inordinately sweet, interesting, and self-assured. These discordant qualities have become...Read More →

The Very Best In Me: I Am Patient and Likable, Thanks To My Special Son

It’s no secret that parenting is damn hard. It brings out the worst in you and unearths some of the best a person can give. This piece is about the latter. The Patience of a Saint “Dani has the patience...Read More →

I Am Simply Human

People think I’m a good person but I’m not. There is good in me but also a lot of bad. This story is about my worst self in my role as mother of a son with developmental disabilities. I Am Selfish When...Read More →

It Was NOT a Shotgun Wedding

Cesar and I were married just nine months after we met. It was not a shotgun wedding, as we reckon some assumed. We were madly in love. But we didn’t marry for love only. We married because any real...Read More →

Motherhood Changes Everything and No One Notices

Some experiences are a shock to the system, a kick in the butt. My butt was kicked hard, unexpectedly, and decisively on Wednesday, January 13, 1994, at 5:38 pm. That's the date and time I gave birth ...Read More →

Breastfeeding: My First Parenting Challenge

Pre-pregnancy, I was blessed with lovely breasts the firmness of ripe avocados. A few days after Diego was born, they were more like watermelons, so huge a person standing behind me could see a significant...Read More →