Loving Chicago Is Complicated, But It's Home

As a white, middle class woman who lives on Chicago’s far north side, it’s easy for me to talk about loving Chicago.  It’s easy for me to feel defensive when I hear politicians and muckrackers and outsiders like Trump and Giuliani and FOX News anchors talk smack about my city.  It’s easy for me to... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
August 13, 2018 at 11:06 am • 

Once Upon a Time I Had a Daughter

It’s that time of year again.  Tomorrow is my daughter’s birthday.  She would be 13.  Should be 13, except she hasn’t celebrated a birthday for nine years, since she died from a rat bastard aggressive brain tumor at four years old.  Donna has been gone for over two of her lifetimes, but here I still... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
July 19, 2018 at 11:58 am • 

If You're Having a Miscarriage, Don't Expect Walgreen's Pharmacy to Help You

Last week I mentioned that I am angry all the time these days.  All.  The.  Time.  Today’s outrage comes after a casual perusal of the news.  I just learned that an Arizona woman, after being told by her physician that her body was in the midst of miscarrying her fetus, was given the option of... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
June 24, 2018 at 7:03 pm • 
Advertisement:

America Just Got Trolled By the First Lady

If you’ve spent even a moment on social media today, you must be aware of #jacketgate.  This morning it was announced that First Lady Melania Trump would be making a surprise visit to a child detention center in Texas to see, firsthand, the conditions in which Central American children who have crossed the border into... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
June 21, 2018 at 9:32 pm • 

What Happens When 3rd Graders Visit a Holocaust Museum

Yesterday I had the opportunity to chaperone my son and his 3rd grade classmates as they visited the Illinois Holocaust Museum and Education Center.  It was made clear to parents long before field trip day that the children would not spend time at any of the exhibits that focused on the atrocities of the Holocaust,... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
June 15, 2018 at 11:47 am • 

Why I Took My Tween Son to See RBG (And You Should Take Yours)

Last night my nine year old son and I went to see RBG, the documentary about the life and career of Ruth Bader Ginsburg.  Hot damn, was it fantastic — we both loved it.  As a mom, I loved looking over at my son during the film, his face lit by the screen in the... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
May 17, 2018 at 2:12 pm • 
Advertisement:

Moss and Lichen

I stood over my daughter’s open grave and thought to myself, “It will be okay.”  The calm and peace I felt was so ill placed, but undeniable.  I remember thinking that the peace was welcome, but it was tinged with guilt, because what kind of mother experiences peace in that moment?  Sigh, always with the... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
April 4, 2018 at 12:27 pm • 

My Life Is In Plastic Pieces

It comes with the territory, I know, and I can hear, as if on cue, parents of older children telling me, “You will miss it.  Blink, and your young boys will be grown men.”  Yes, yes, I get it, but right here, right now, in these days where my boys are young and untidy, it... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
January 19, 2018 at 9:16 am • 

Thank You, President Trump!

I am not the same person I was on November 7, 2016.  I’ve changed, and I owe it all to you, POTUS.  Thanks for that.  It’s easy to get caught up in the frenzy of your Tweets and your lies and your hateful bigotry and the chaos that surrounds your administration, but the mantra I... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
January 12, 2018 at 11:13 pm • 
Advertisement:

The Ghosts of Christmas Past

Next week is Christmas.  As the mother of two youngsters, it is supposed to be a joyous, happy time of year.  More realistically, it is supposed to be merely a busy, stressed out time of year.  But, for me, I keep thinking about the last Christmas shared with my father. Cue the tears.   Technically speaking,... Read more »
By Mary Tyler Mom,
December 20, 2017 at 9:05 am •