This Week In Motherhood

The shoulder seasons of parenting might be some of the most unexpected

Welcome back to This Week in Motherhood a series that measures time as a parent in something more than years.

Farmers and chefs sometimes reference “shoulder seasons” which can be anything from transitional periods between crops or the time between dormancy and peak season produce. Spring is a good example of a shoulder season for both chefs and farmers — there are still plenty of cold storage potatoes to be eaten, but our hunger for spring is heightened by the first of the season flowers and asparagus. The last several weeks of parenting have felt like a shoulder season too, though, and while we talk about the big growth milestones — potty training, starting kindergarten, starting middle school, driving — there are smaller seasons with similar emotional weight that aren’t marked as well.

This Week in Motherhood is part of my subscriber only content so I can keep sensitive personal details to a small number of readers.💛