Parenting with Pearl

A little over seven years ago, my first child was born. It rocked my world. He was a surprise. We were living in New York City, I was in graduate school and my husband was doing temporary work at law firms to help put me through school. Our life plans were altered a bit, as they often are with children, and 9 months later, one week after my son was born, we arrived in Los Angeles for my husband to start his new job, and for me to begin my career as a mother (while trying to finish up my Masters thesis). I learned quickly that motherhood is NOT what you think it's going to be. I learned quickly that my own mother had forgotten A LOT, and I learned that the internet is a fabulous support group/advice line/reference book. There were so many things I hadn't planned for; colic, breast-feeding struggles, how obsessed with sleep I would become, and I honestly felt betrayed by womankind as all the mothers I watched and knew seemed to be effortlessly walking through life, kids hanging off them, clothes and gear all in order, like it was easy. I came to the conclusion that either I was completely incompetent, or these women were faking it! My father instilled in me too healthy a self-esteem for me to believe I was the one at fault, which swayed me to believe the later. (I've since learned it's a lot more complicated than that). Because of this, it became my personal quest to try and "be real" and remember what parenting and motherhood was like, particularly those early years. Eighteen months later my daughter came along, and all of the sudden, my quest to remember became more urgent. Here was someone who would surely hold me accountable to remember and advise in the realm of parenting and motherhood. But, alas, life passes far to quickly, and two more little boys later, I've decided it's finally time to start recording my own journey in motherhood and parenting for my daughter, Anneke Pearl. My hope is that by recording and remembering in the moment, the experience will be more accurate and pertinent to her, while details, that seem silly in the end but make all the difference in the present, are still fresh and authentic. My record is for my daughter, and therefore, I hope it will be very candid and direct, as advice from an elder family member to a younger should be. You are welcome to come along for the ride as an observer, and perhaps learn or take away something from it. At the least, for fellow mothers and parents, hopefully you feel understood, supported, or more determined to flourish in the challenging realm of parenting. Consider this your opportunity to be a fly on a wall in a busy and active home with four young children and two fairly impatient, determined, and hopelessly flawed parents trying hard to "keep it real" while keeping expectations high, and everybody smiling!