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Learning to Balance (Opposites Attract)

J is finally back from his business trip, and I couldn't be happier.  :mrgreen: This was the first time in years that we had spent a night apart, so being away from each other for three nights was plain torture. We had promised each other that we would video chat every night via Skype, but you know what happened to my computer.  :cry:  I really wanted to cry when I first saw him this morning, and I'm not just saying this because I know he will read this. And to show my appreciation for him, J returned home to a...

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First Child Syndrome

Lately I have been losing my patience with Comang. So much so, that the thought of giving him away has entered my mind on more than a few occasions.  :-( Our beloved shih-tzu has a classic case of first child syndrome. He is insanely jealous of the attention that Claire receives and is adding undue stress to my life. Please don't get me wrong — he has never acted out against Claire and I am certain that he won't. Instead, he acts out toward me, his mommy and his favorite person in the world. Whenever I am sitting anywhere with Claire, he will try to squeeze himself between us. When I am doing something with Claire that requires most of my attention, such...

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A Genderless Preschool

Earlier today, I read about Egalia, a Swedish preschool that aims to break down gender stereotypes. At this taxpayer-funded preschool located in the liberal Sodermalm district of Stockholm, staff avoid using pronouns such as "him" or "her" and address the 33 children as "friends" rather than boys and girls. Every little detail — from the color and placement of toys to the selection of literature (which mostly consists of books dealing with homosexual couples, single parents or adopted children) — has been carefully planned to ensure that the children do not fall into gender stereotypes from a young age. I couldn't help but be reminded of the Canadian parents who are hiding the gender of their baby. Upon reading that article, I remember asking...

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My Mother’s Birth Story, Abridged

It is no secret that my father loves his two daughters and openly tells people over and over again how having two girls has taught him to be more sensitive, more responsible, and a better man in general. And as it was with Claire, it was he who was the happiest to hear the news that we are expecting another girl. However, I know that this was not always the case. I know that having lived most of his life in Korea — formerly a strongly patriarchal society — he must have had bouts of disappointment at not having sired a boy. (Surveys now show that for the first time in Korean society, parents prefer to have girls over boys. This is a...

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How Many Households Are Like Yours?

Over the weekend, the NYTimes ran an article titled "Baby Makes Four, and Complications" which tells the story of a woman, her son, her sperm donor and his lover, citing them as an example of the changing face of the American family. This was no big news to me. After all, the idea of the traditional nuclear family is being questioned every day, and for the first time ever, the percentage of households headed by married couples has dropped below 50 percent (according to 2010 U.S. Census figures). What particularly caught my eye about the article was its accompanying interactive webpage, "How Many Households Are Like Yours?" Upon entering the page, the visitor is prompted to choose the primary residents of his/her household, to...

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