*What she means is that a mother with tattoos doesn’t seem like much of a mother at all.* “You’re a mother with tattoos,” the cashier, in the orange Home Depot vest with platinum hair, cackles. You are just trying to purchase some magnets, two lollipops, two Coke Zeros, and fire-ant killer. You try to smile …
*Every time I used my insurance card, I was grateful for ACA.* Here’s the letter I sent to Senate Finance Committee opposing the Graham Cassidy repeal. Greetings, I’m writing today because my family relies on ACA for quality, affordable healthcare. Because of this, I oppose the Graham Cassidy repeal. Currently, I work as a freelance …
*I used to be ambitious. At least, that’s what people routinely told me.* I was ready to write an essay on motherhood and ambition, but then my three-year-old wouldn’t let me leave at drop-off while his older sister waited in the car. He wouldn’t hurry up the stairs to his preschool or through the door …
*What disappears in the discussion of motherhood and faith is the relationship of both to race.* In 1924, Robbie Gill, the Imperial Commander of the Women of the Ku Klux Klan (WKKK), gave a speech entitled “American Women” at the annual Klonvocation (Klan speak for convention) of the Ku Klux Klan (1915-1930). She proclaimed: We …
Mother Knows Best: The Politics of White Christian Motherhood Read More
What Fades Away Katherine Anderson Howell The baby was 3 months old. I wasn’t happy. *** I spin and spin around the living room. My head feels lopsided, like it does when I’m too tired, or when panic leaves me hollow. The baby is in my arms. The baby laughs. I spin. I bounce …
Every Friday, I stuff folders in my daughter’s first grade classroom. I did not volunteer for this task. No other parents volunteered. The teacher needed someone to do it, so now I do. Part of the reason I agreed is because I was curious about what happens in first grade. While I sort assignments, crafts, and …