52 Questions: Why?

Where did January go? We're already spilling into the fourth week of January, and I'm just now able to set aside some time to start to think about 52 questions, my pet project to take on one question about parenting each week. Looks like I have some catching up to do.

Why 52 questions on parenting? Well, first let me say that I am by no means an expert on parenting. I do not hail from a large family with siblings numbering in the double digits. I have not written any books on parenting. I am not an early education researcher with an alphabet of university degrees. I don't spend my days wiping away boogies and drool from a room full of toddlers...well, not usually. Instead, I am a mom interested in connecting with and learning from other moms.

My eldest son is nearly two and a half while my youngest son is five months old. I know that I cannot even begin to imagine all the peculiar situations that I will certainly find myself in raising these two gregarious boys nor imagine the millions of questions that will arise from these moments. After having to explain to my two year old in the middle of the grocery store why he shouldn't "honk" mommy's boobies while he sits in the cart, I know to expect the unexpected. But, what I found is that when I share my experiences, when I spend some quiet time reflecting and writing on both the proud moments and my parenting pitfalls, I'm better able to be a parent. My hope is that as I respond to these weekly questions, it will encourage me to be more present, to spend more time reflecting on not only the parent that I want to be but the parent that I am. And, in doing so, I hope to connect with others who are traveling this same road.