The Emotional Complexities of Pregnancy

by Jeanne Faulkner, Contributing Writer

You can’t really know, what it’s like to have a baby on board until you’re knee-deep into it.  You think it’s going to be a certain way…and it is…but then you learn it’s also something entirely different.  It’s like those pictures that create the optical illusions:  Is it a face or a vase?  Turns out it’s both.  Pregnancy’s like that. Sure, it’s transcendent and miraculous, but it’s also kind of disgusting and uncomfortable.  To say it’s unlike any other physical or emotional experience is self-indulgent and unrealistic (it’s a universal experience shared by millions and millions of people all over the world every year), but it’s also spot-on accurate (no two parents or pregnancies are exactly alike).  The highs are exhilarating and the lows get really down and dirty. It’s hard to get your balance when you don’t know where the floor is from one minute to the next.  Pregnancy’s like that. 
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By Jeanne Faulkner

Our Mental Health Series continues…. The Day of Birth – It’s Your Birth Day Too!

Nine months of preparation and anticipation, followed by hours (even days) of labor and pushing; then all of a sudden – bam! You’re a parent!  Happy Birth Day.

Now what?
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Parenting Press Tip —The more involved and present you are in your child’s daily schedule, the safer he or she will be.

Last week we discussed certain behaviors that are common to perpetrators of child sexual abuse. This week I’d like to go over a few more points about molesters that will help you be alert to red flag behaviors and keep your children safer.
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by Jeanne Faulkner, Contributing Writer

We start our next part of our series focusing on OURSELF.

Why It’s Important to Take Care of Yourself

Think about your day…   You’ve probably met every responsibility and demand presented to you;  your job, family, spouse, schools, friends and most of all your children.  But what have you done for yourself lately?  If you’re like most parents, you put your needs on the bottom of the list.  After all, “me time” seems so selfish, especially when there’s so little time to spare.  But indulging in this guilty pleasure isn’t frivolous or self-indulgent.  It isn’t even optional.  Taking care of your self is mandatory.   After all, if you don’t do it, who the heck will?

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