All my life I have felt ambivalent about many of the labels available to describe me or my life: Woman. Bisexual. Wife. Even “Mother.” Not because I don’t have a womb, don’t love people of many genders, have not been a committed partner, or am not a parent, but because of how I disidentify with some of the assumptions that other people attach to these words.
These days, I don’t care as much about what other people attach to words they think describe me. But on this week approaching Valentine’s day, I warmly invite all parents, especially female parents (however you define that), to love ourselves.
As mothers, we can so easily get barnacled over with everyone else’s wants, needs, expectations, that it can be hard to recognize the powerful and sexy being in the mirror for who we are underneath all that.
Continue reading “The big secret of loving yourself: A Valentine for mothers”