(Over)Thinking Mom » Podcast Episodes

Over the last fifteen years, the number of stay at home moms has been increasing.  In 2003, Lisa Belkin published an article in The New York Times called "The Opt-Out Revolution," leading many to believe this increase was the result of educated women choosing to forgo a career in order to stay at home with the kids.  However, in the last couple years, this revolution has been revealed as a myth; most stay at home moms are younger, less educated, and of a lower socio-economic class, but this does not mean the overeducated stay at home mom doesn't exist, nor that this phenomenon should be dismissed. I talk with Alex Iwashnyna of lateenough.com, a popular blogger and stay at home mom who left a career in medicine to stay at home with her kids.  She reveals that opting out is not a jump from career to home, but rather a complicated and subtle process. Articles: "The Opt-Out Revolution" by Lisa Belkin in The New York Times, 26 October 2003. “Most Stay-at-Home Moms Start That Way, Study Finds” by Donna St. George in The Washington Post, 1 October 2009. The Overeducated Stay at Home Mom

Mommy blogs are a much read and much maligned phenomenon.  In March of 2010, The New York Times published an article called “Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy, I’m Too Busy Building My Brand.”  The uproar in the mommy blog community was instant and intense. In a fast talking rant of my own, I analyze the mommy blog surge, the reasons for the backlash, and the overall power a successful mommy blogger can yield.  My conclusion?  Back off haters.  History proves mothers need to be taken seriously, whether you call them mommy or not. Article: “Honey, Don’t Bother Mommy, I’m Too Busy Building My Brand” by Jennifer Mendelsohn in The New York Times, 12 March 2010. Some Blog Responses: “An Open Letter to the New York Times About Mom Bloggers, Women Writers, and the Universe” by Pundit Mom, 15 March 2010 “Newspaper Bias Against Mom Bloggers” by Kelby Carr, 14 March, 2010 Right Click to Download: In Defense of the Mommy Blog  

The role of the grandparent is ill-defined in American Society.  Many grandparents have become stand-in parents and many are completely cut off from their progeny, but most function somewhere in the middle ground, building strong connections with their grandchildren, while not serving as matriarchal or patriarchal all-knowing elders. What kind of grandparent did you have or are you?  In honor of Grandparents’ Day, September 12, I talk with my mother, Amelia’s grandmother, about the four types of “challenging grandparents.”  We also look specifically at the art of long-distance grandparenting, a common dilemma in American society.  Long-distance relationships may decrease contact but they do not necessarily lessen the bond between a grandchild and his/her grandparent. Articles: “Over the River and Through the Woods:  Long Distance Grandparenting” by Nancy Kalish in Psychology Today, 3 June 2010 “The Four Types of Challenging Grandparents” by Kelly Mills in The Poop in the San Francisco Chronicle, 24 July 2007 The Art of Grandparenting

The first few weeks for a new mom after bringing home baby are often the most stressful, confusing, blissful, and tiring of her life.  Websites abound with tips for the new mom.  How useful is this information?  What really happens when you take your newborn home? I talk with another new mom, Abby, about our expectations for and the realities of bringing home baby.  We discuss advice that helped, advice that didn’t, and how long it took before we got into our mommy groove. Bringing Home Baby

Fewer than ten percent of American women see a midwife during their pregnancy, labor, and delivery.  Why is this?  What exactly is a midwife anyway? I talk with a nurse-midwife, who happens to be my mother-in-law, about different types of midwives, their role in medicine, and the relationship between midwifery and medical intervention.  My mother-in-law helped deliver my daughter, her only grandchild, and no, that wasn’t weird. Related video: The Business of Being Born, produced by Ricki Lake and directed by Abby Epstein, 6 May 2008 American Midwifery

Who rules the roost?  Men or women?  According to the Wall Street Journal, women have the upper hand.  Why is this?  Should we celebrate? Is this news even new? As a stay-at-home mother, I’ve often wondered if money equals power in a marriage, so I was pleased to discover, according to two studies, women make most family decisions, regardless of whether they stay at home or work outside it.  But what does my husband think?  Listen to find out. Articles: “Who Wears the Pants” by Megan Basham in The Wall Street Journal,  10 October 2008. “Study:  Women Are in Charge at Home” by Jeanna Bryner at LiveScience.com, 11 July 2007. Who\'s the Boss

Are all daughters ultimately destined to become their mothers?  Is this a good thing?  Why do most women fear this supposed inevitability?  I’ll attempt to answer some of these questions by going to the source itself--my mother (and father). Our conclusions?  We don’t want to become our mothers, but somehow we do, and maybe this isn’t so bad after all.  Too many women think of their mothers as needing to fit the roles of the “fairy godmother” or “evil stepmother”; mothers are human and the connection between your role as a mother and your role as a daughter is a complicated one. Articles "Are You Destined to Become Your Mother" by Stacey Colino in Real Simple "Are you turning into your mother?" by F. Diane Barth in Psychology Today "The Mother Daughter Wars" by Phyllis Chesler at salon.com Are You Your Mother?

Sure, parenting books warned about colic, but descriptions of this unfortunate experience were relegated to the little boxes embedded within the main text, the boxes few people read.  Veteran mothers warned you about lack of sleep, breastfeeding difficulties, and diaper blow-outs, but no one prepared you for colic.  What is colic?  What happens when you are blessed with a colicky child?  How do you handle six hour screaming matches? What did I do?  First, I cried; next, I cried some more; last, I read up on colic like a madwoman.  The verdict:  Experts agree on little and it doesn't always magically disappear, but we are surviving anyhow. Colic Article links: "The Reflex To Treat Reflux" by Darshak Sanghavi at Slate.com