Who says what?

Novelist, mother, minister, and yoga teacher muses on books, babies, motherhood, and what matters with reverent humor.

Monday, May 17, 2010

You're Having a WHAT?

Now that it's officially, official (little baby ultrasound pics. and everything),I can start blogging and blabbing about baby number three due in October.

I thought I'd start with some of my favorite responses to this little announcement:

"I'm happy for you...I think."

"I can't believe you're having another kid!"

"Did you...make a mistake?"

"Was this planned?"

And these are no innocent strangers. These are friends! Yes, shocking though it may be, I wanted to have a third child in this age of only children. If I had it my way, I'd probably have a whole lot more; despite my imperfect parenting, I love it. You'd think from these comments I'd announced my 20th child! Like some crazy, quiverful movement fundamentalists! I'm AMISH folks, get it straight. Amish, feminist, liberal and religious. Geez. And yes, I'll give birth with a long dress on and a bonnet. So you can be happy for me, really. I am not merely at the mercy of my biology like all those poor babes a hundred years ago. I HAVE birth control. I just don't use it. :-)

6 comments:

  1. Congratulations!!!! Just the thought of being pregnant again sends me into some kind of panic attack myself ... BUT regardless, I am VERY happy for you!

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  2. More power to you. Personally, I'd really like to give my ONE child away some days. You're lucky that you have such a calling for it.

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  3. Like I keep saying, once you have TWO, they take care of each other while you nap. The problem with all of you lovely ladies is you only have one and you think four year olds can't babysit--but, hey, if you lower your standards enough, they really can!

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  4. Thanks for talking about how thoughtless comments start from the moment we announce that we are pregnant. And for many of us, even before that!

    They are kind of funny at times or in retrospect but they also can be extremely painful and undermine our self confidence. Especially when they come from friends and family!

    I think about how thin my skin was when I was pregnant with the first. By the second, it didn't phase me anymore. It just annoyed me.

    In our MotherWoman groups those are the kind of stories we hear all the time. Cause this is what is happening all the time.

    Thanks Samantha!

    liz@motherwoman.org
    www.motherwoman.org

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  5. Thanks, Liz. And if you're in the Pioneer Valley you can go hang out with the wonderful motherwoman mother/women and laugh and cry and not feel alone. They've got some great things going.

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