So, dear reader(s)
I have decided to make this a flash essay blog where I will share a story every Friday related to parenting, and offer a sort of Dear Abby advice column. This should be fun. I am playing with calling it “Parenting on the borderline” or something similarly witty.
Friday January 9, 2026
Womanhood
The bedroom door opens behind me, but I’m wearing headphones at my desk facing the window. My daughter, roughly age 12, catches my frustration for startling me as I swivel from my screen to her face.
“You better be bleeding!” I say louder than necessary but not quite shouting, my words trailing like spit from a moving car window.
“Uh, Mom, I think I got my period,” she replies, instantly making me feel like the worst Mom ever.
