“Mom-guilt” is pervasive among mothers, but this type of emotional distress is peaking throughout the age of “Pinterest parenting” and even more during this pandemic. What should you do when the guilt becomes too much?

I share my experience using Elimination Communication (EC), which is a gentle and non-coercive way to potty train an infant from as early as birth. Unlike conventional potty training methods, EC does not involve praise, rewards, punishment, force, anger, or consequences.

I’m an enthusiast for Montessori practical life activities because they don’t require advanced planning and it simplifies my busy life. Examples of practical life activities include putting away laundry, watering plants, taking care of pets, cleaning spills, arranging flowers, and my absolute favorite, food preparation.

My goal was to breastfeed for a minimum of two years—this is the length of time recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO)—but ideally, I hoped Dakota would self-wean whenever she was ready. Things didn’t turn out as planned and I found myself needing to wean earlier than that.