Parenting on a Spectrum. Intensive Is Not Helicopter.
I Am Hands-on, Even Now That They Are Adulting.
From the time I was a little girl, I wanted my very own baby. I wished for it on several birthday candles, blowing them out and silently hoping for a child of my own. I of course had no idea how that would come about, I just knew I wanted to be a mom.
The moment I learned that I was pregnant, a pure accident at the age of 24, I had zero reservations about motherhood. I was single and the thought of parenting gave me few reservations. I quickly found a less expensive place to live and began taking very good care of myself.
My friend Jeff was visiting recently and he commented to my boyfriend of several months that I “lean in to parenting pretty hard.” That statement is an easy observation. I am one of those people who is a constant presence in her children’s lives.
Back when I was pregnant with my first child, I lacked health insurance but did not want to go to the regular clinic for people on state-sponsored health care. I feared that seeing a different OB/GYN each visit, not really connecting with anyone, would result in a less healthy labor and delivery. I scrimped (a lot) and paid a large sum out of pocket to see an OB/GYN whose credentials I had researched, who seemed to align with my view of pregnancy, and who would see me…
