Happy Holidays Can Be Yours
Happy holidays don’t have to be picture-perfect. Even if you’re a single parent, you can make your child’s holidays sparkle without morphing into either Father Christmas or Mother Teresa. Start with thanksgiving. Super-glue your attention to the good things in your life. Be grateful for even little things that go right. Thank people who are […]
Wrap Your Holidays in Heartstrings
Once the pumpkins roll out of the stores, The Holiday Season floods in. Beware of being drenched in depression by the ads that tell you what you “need” to do or buy. If this is one of your first holidays with a child, we want you to know that you have Choices to help you […]
Hope and Healing After Abortion
If abortion is a piece of your past, and you’ve never felt free to talk through all the ways it has affected who you are today, we can offer you a safe place to begin. Come join us for a discussion around the book called Worthy of Love, by Shadia Hrichi, someone who knows what […]
Words Your Child Needs from You, Part III: “No”
My child entered the world like a little angel: sweet, adorable, and innocent. What a shock it was when I had to start telling him, “No!” “No, don’t bite the breast that feeds you.” “No, you shouldn’t put that thing in your mouth.” “No, don’t lick the electrical outlet.” Frankly, saying “no” gets tiring, doesn’t […]
The Worst Best-Kept Secret: STDs
According to your favorite TV show, they never happen. No one on your playlist of love songs ever sings about getting one. Most people you know only joke about them. Do they even exist? Oh, yes they do. They’re called STDs (Sexually Transmitted Diseases) or STIs (Sexually Transmitted Infections)—two names for the same ugly secret. […]
Words Your Child Needs From You, Part II: “You Can Count on Me”
Have you ever had to rescue your child from an oncoming train? Probably not. But do you know that your child needs to be sure you would? Consider this: Your child’s world is out of her control. To her it can feel like a train wreck waiting to happen. But if Mommy is someone she […]
What are You Waiting For?
When you can microwave a meal in seconds, text a friend 24/7, or instantly stream a video (like the amazing time-lapse below) who needs to wait? You do. Some really good things only come to those who wait. Take friendship. You can’t cook one up overnight. A good friendship needs time: time to savor shared […]
Words Your Child Needs From You, Part I: “I love you”
“Death and life are in the power of the tongue…” That’s a lot of power—power you have over your child’s life. Frightening, isn’t it? We fear seeing our children wither and shrivel into sad, hard little kernels. So how can we speak the words that cause them to thrive and grow up with security, self-esteem, […]
Confident Breastfeeding Part 3: Are You Still Eating Right for Two?
How many times did you hear, “You’re eating for two” while you were pregnant? Now that your baby is here, if you’re breastfeeding him or her, the two of you are still sharing meals. Do you ever wonder if you’re eating plan includes the right things to make good breast milk? Good news: the quality […]
What Are Daddies Made Of?
Father’s Day was tough when I was a single mom. A dark, menacing voice kept taunting me, “You’re alone. Your boy has no man around. You know all those statistics on how fatherless kids turn out? They’re going to happen to your son.” Maybe it was good for me to be reminded: a single mother […]
Confident Breastfeeding Part 2: Breastfeeding in Public
Breastfeeding Your Baby in Public Let me begin with what used to be obvious: Breastfeeding (lactation) is normal. Long before anyone thought about inventing bottles, women were beautifully designed to feed their babies. But being normal doesn’t always make breastfeeding easy. We at Choices Pregnancy Center want to help you understand all the benefits of […]
The Marvel of Motherhood
When we women stand at the brink of motherhood, we have no real idea what we’re getting into. Now that I’m several years beyond that brink, I’m aware of a strange paradox: If someone had told me how hard motherhood would be, I might not have considered it. And if they had told me how […]