Momologues

I want us to have it. I don't want it taken from us directly or indirectly. I don't want judgement from others (i want us all not to care when others judge). I want a system that supports and stands up for bodily autonomy for all. To know that I am beautiful and powerful -- and that no person, policy, or platform has control of my personal and private health choices, health care, and bodily autonomy! I’ve been planting these seeds for a long time. Because of navigating myster

That I was 100% safe to be talking to and they believed what I said to be true, not just platitudes or my own opinion or manipulation to influence the outcome. That I trust them to make good decisions when they have good information I would want my child to feel heard. Them to feel like I was an adult they trusted cared about them and their experience. And them to feel like the adult they trusted with this experience or situation was giving them an honest answer and real feed

Ooof, I learned about consent far too late. Talking with kids about actions that they want or don't want. Teaching them that it's okay to say no to honor their own feelings, even if that means it might upset someone else. Consent is addressed on an almost daily basis in my house. It is practiced in a very open way and I model it for my kids as much as I can. I don't remember how consent was addressed for me. In consideration of a lot of uncomfortable situations I found myself

Raising kids in a culture of curiosity feels like the most influential part of talking with my kids about relationships and sex. No mysteries. We discuss science and social norms. Shame has no place in discussions about our bodies and our curiosities about bodies. I feel a pressure to talk about sexual health education, healthy bodies, sex and relationships with my kids. That pressure is steeped in how I think/feel my mother-in-law will perceive these topics and I think her l

Confused as to when exactly he grew up? A little panicky. I had an awful experience as a teen/young adult with my parents and dating, until I got married. I don't know what a healthy version of dating and parenting looks like. When my daughter got her first boyfriend they were both seniors and each others firsts. I always told myself that I would never do the shame thing like my mom did to me about sexuality. I remember her coming down with her boyfriend and asking me to take

As a holistic developmental professional I approach the biological and sensory aspects of pleasure with my 9 year old. I'm still learning how to approach this without over sexualizing the human experience. Recently, I've walked in on him playing with toys and seemingly unintentionally humping the coach or surface he's on. I asked him about what he was doing and if he was experiencing new feelings in his body around his penis and how it felt, then he began to kick his feet on

Every fucking day of my life. Hmmm.... when have I not? My entire childhood through young adulthood. Breaking away from Christianity was the best thing I could have done for myself physically and mentally. It worries me to see the church push for the amount of governing control it's gaining. When I was pregnant with my second child, I was STRONGLY encouraged multiple times to get my tubes tied during the birth that was going to be a c-section. It was uncomfortable and judgy.

Planned mother fucking parenthood. I have accessed their services in Texas, Georgia and Alaska. They have provided me with birth control and routine exams. I took the pill in my late teens early twenties (circa 2003) which really affected my mood. I stopped taking birth control in my early twenties because of this. It wasn’t until I was 29 that I went to planned parenthood and got a copper IUD. It was a 10 year IUD. 4 years later, I became the 1% and got pregnant. My son is n

That both genders can be equal as teammates and gender is way down on the list of 'identifiers.' My son played hockey from the start with boys and girls and by the time HS came around, they could share the locker room and be 'just teammates' My daughter is VERY clear about when she doesn't want to do something and VERY clear about when something is not her job. This has been liberating to me as I tend to be someone with an overdeveloped sense of responsibility. I have learned

Even though both my husband and I tried very hard to model acceptance of all body shapes and sizes, both our daughters still struggled with societies' image of what "beauty "had to look like in the female body. It made us both very sad to see that happen. I think they both worried about their bodies more than I did as a child. Our goal was for them to see their bodies as a healthy, energetic, and functioning tool to accomplishing what they wanted with their life, rather than

When talking to my daughter about "hintocourse" or her changing body I find the most helpful thing is to let her start the conversation. If she makes a little comment related to her body or romance or intimacy, it opens up a window for me to make one or two well chosen remarks. Beyond that, she will shut down. Little bits, all of over place, with relaxed good humor seems to be the best way for the information to be transmitted. I trust that things will emerge as she's ready f

We haven't quite crossed that bridge yet, but the inaccuracies around having a period have been wildly alarming. I think once we have tackled that, the foundation will be laid for more comprehensive conversations around "the deed." Nothing that I know of so far I've been surprised about the lack of comments that my kiddos have made about it. I remember at this age so many discussions on the playground and misinformation, etc. The question, "what have you heard from other kids

He says, “First of all I’m a boy- so, yeah. It makes me think of a stomach ache.” At this point, honestly, he’s intrigued and hope it’s something he’ll get to ‘observe’ up close soon.   To quote my kid when I asked her what she thinks of pregnancy "Personally, I am afraid of it and don’t like the idea of it lol. That's what i think 😂 but it’s a really cool thing that i admire other people for doing!"  We’ve had a lot of funny conversations. After one convo- One said she’s no

You only have one, please treat it with love. That they are beautiful, unique in the universe and they are in control of their bodies. Autonomy.  That they own it.  That’s so tough. Is it that they are in charge of their own body? Is it that it’s perfect no matter what? Is it that it may someday betray them? Is it that it’s ever evolving and changing? Is it that they need to advocate for it? Is that there are parts of their body that no one should touch, even if it’s okay wit

My daughter is ten years old, I wish at her age that I had known that sex wasn’t a mysterious physical act. All my exposure to sex at the time was hard to understand and misinterpreted, leading to very embarrassing conversations with peers solely about bodies and void of any emotion or intimacy. I wish I would’ve known that bodies naturally change a lot as you go from adolescence to young adulthood, and that it is totally normal, beautiful, and OK. And that all body shapes ar

Talking to my 8 year old about sex feels good/comfortable because I haven’t really gotten to the big stuff yet. Haha! My own sex Ed was very limited. Talking to my 8 year old daughter about sex feels vulnerable- scary and empowering. My own sex ed was scarce, unrealistic and problematic. I feel angry when I think about my own sex ed.  Talking to my 11 year old about sex feels tricky trying to balance open age appropriate information while honoring their innocence. My own sex

The Barbi Movie for Mothers

A one-night only fringe-style burlesque show, featuring playscript excerpts and performance.

"My chosen community shows up for me by helping enable me to do what makes me thrive: make things happen!” “They support me at whatever...

“I’m grieving the ability to just sit and be. My brain is in a constant state of over-stimulation and I can’t just sit, turn it off and...

“Sex life is completely non-existent. But I don’t crave it, or miss it, like I used to. There was a lot of mental, emotional and physical...