Infertility Survivors Finally Heard
Infertility and childless folks are all around us, but we rarely capture the spotlight or celebrate reunions, anniversaries and creative breakthroughs. Before I get into a powerful in-person reunion, I want to share a giveaway you won’t want to miss. Longtime bloggers, now friends, from LifeWithoutBaby contacted me. Indeed, Kismet! Their email led to several…
Women I could easily connect with or who effortlessly ‘got me’ and my complicated childless, ‘non-mom’ experience once felt elusive. That’s because during my 30s and well into my early 40s I learned some hard truths. You could say I was akin to an older Janis Ian. Modifying a few of her classic lyrics a…
Tribalism at its best provides a haven and kinship. Who doesn’t like to feel accepted and validated? Tribalism at its worst, however, fuels misunderstandings, culture wars, and, at the extreme, ugliness. Most of us have witnessed or encountered all of the above. My latest tribal experience stemmed from my participation in Slate‘s podcast, What I…
Now, I don’t know about you, but I got a little weary of the Mamala, Mamala, Mamala in recent weeks. The ‘momification’ of Kamala got me thinking and writing. It led to this article headlined and subheaded: Here’s how the piece starts: “Like many, I cheered the announcement of Kamala Harris as Vice President. Why…
Tokenism is an awkward thing to experience. I never fully understood how prevalent it is for childless women, but the penny dropped a few weeks ago. So, it started when a Random House marketing manager sent a ham-handed email. She asked if I’d like to read and share The Trying Game as part of October’s…
Living the life unexpected has become all too startlingly familiar, hasn’t it? Who among us has not felt jolted by the sudden onset of this out-of-nowhere, insidious coronavirus threat to what had been our mostly well-ordered lives and sense of agency? But, from my personally Cloroxed plane seat amid the current pandemic yesterday a spectacular…
Greetings, longtime blog readers! My recent blog sabbatical wasn’t planned. Competing writing projects, doctor visits and travel demanded my time. More on those activities in a subsequent post. Meanwhile, I’m happy to report our community continues to make new inroads into education and support for those affected by involuntary childlessness. First Up: Fresh and Frank…
World Childless Week is the brainchild of Stephanie Phillips. She first conceived the idea in 2017. With the help of numerous childless bloggers and members of several online childless support groups, WCW has grown and blossomed. The World Childless Week website contains a wealth of stories and insights. Learn more about the mission here. Wrestling…
Childless not by choice (CNBC) is a community I never expected to join. For many years I didn’t even know this vibrant community existed. However, what I did know 12 years and 8 days ago is this: I was in pain. On my best days I struggled mightily. The worst? I reeled. Imagine a stormy…
Childless. While there is not one thing I like about this word, I am supportive of those who want to draw attention to the social issues surrounding it. What’s behind my dislike of the word? First of all, it comes loaded with baggage. Unkind stereotypes abound. I could find no evidence of the word ‘childful’…