Kristen Oganowski
mom.me
Columbus, OH, United States
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Past articles by Kristen:
Here’s What You’ll Miss After Your Baby Goes to Kindergarten
Just over a week ago, I dropped off my youngest son—my baby—at school for his first day of kindergarten. He carried his backpack, which dwarfed his 5-year-old body, all the way to his classroom. He insisted on walking up the school steps without holding my hand. And once he was safely at his desk, he smiled and waved goodbye without shedding a tear. He was ready. Just as importantly, I was… → Read More
5 Labor Stories About Epidurals That Went Really Wrong
Ask someone for the phrases they most associate with childbirth and one response is likely to be, “Get me the epidural!” There are some good reasons why, too. Epidurals are fairly low-risk. They’re offered in almost every single hospital in the United States. And, perhaps most importantly, they provide nearly complete pain relief during what is one of the most painful experiences a person can… → Read More
5 Traits We Admire in Adults But Are The Worst in Toddlers
Tantrum. Terrible. Tyrant. Toddler. These four words are connected by more than simple alliteration. Toddlers are, in fact, terrible tantruming tyrants. Before someone accuses me of ganging up on these poor, innocent, tiny humans, please know this: I completely understand that they can’t help it. They cannot help that they are such a-holes. Toddlers experience rapidly accelerating physical… → Read More
What You Never Forget About the Day You Gave Birth
We don’t always get to choose which memories stick with us, whether they're ones that haunt us or revisit us in waves of joy. This applies, especially, to memories of childbirth. A traumatic birth experience can lead to long-lasting memories and even postpartum mood disorders or PTSD. Meanwhile, a happy, healthy, desired delivery can create pleasurable, meaningful memories. And yet, these… → Read More
Hey Parents, We Don't Need to Raise the Happiest, Smartest, Best Kids Ever
Even if modern parenting advice tells us otherwise → Read More
Girl Disqualified From Tournament for 'Looking Like a Boy'
Organizers at a Nebraska soccer tournament recently disqualified Mili Hernandez and her team from participating in the tournament’s final match. The reason was not Mili’s age. (Mili is 8 years old, and she plays—legally—on Azzurri Cachorros’s 11-year-old girls’ club team.) Nor was it a problem with the team’s forms or other official paperwork. The problem was that tournament officials insisted… → Read More
How to Have a ‘Date Night’ When Date Nights Are Impossible
Let's be real, it can be hard for parents to find time to go out → Read More
5 Hidden Dangers When Boys Play With Dolls
Nearly every day, my 3-year-old son tucks his beloved baby doll under his arm and carries it around the house. Sometimes he uses the doll as a missile, chucking it across the room the way many people would expect a boy to do. But most of the time, he cares for "Baby." He talks to it in a cooing voice. He points out its tiny fingers and toes. He takes it to the grocery store and cradles it while… → Read More
8 Toys That Are Actually Worse Than Garbage
There’s nothing that signifies American consumerism and excess quite like a house full of forgotten, unloved toys. Toys in the bedroom. Toys in the living room. Toys creeping into every corner of the house, rolling onto every surface (including that scary dust-dungeon under the refrigerator). Some toys are worse than others. I’m thinking specifically of the toys that do not stand the test of… → Read More
The Looming Health Crisis In Half of All Pregnancies
The American Health Care Act—the health care bill recently passed by the House of Representatives—is already mired in controversy. Democrats are wholly opposed to it. Many Republican Senators have expressed concerns about it. And the American people are left questioning what this potential law might mean for themselves and their families. The AHCA itself is not without merit. Attempting to drive… → Read More
How to (Mostly) Love the Newborn Stage
Six of the toughest, and most beautiful, weeks of parenting → Read More
I Wish I Would’ve Had My Kids Closer Together
It’s been a long 11 years of parenting little ones → Read More
Parents Need to Stop With These Total BS Boy Rules
Vice President Mike Pence’s adherence to the “Billy Graham Rule” is now widely known (and widely ridiculed). Apparently he refuses to dine alone with any woman other than his wife. He also refrains from attending events where alcohol is served unless his wife is with him. Despite the insistence that this rule reflects a commitment to propriety and faithfulness, it is still an inherently… → Read More
How Not to Find a Doula
Doulas aren’t only for hippies, and they aren’t only for home births. These two doula myths have been busted in recent years as doula support itself has become increasingly popular. Yet one doula myth has persisted: It’s what I like to call the “doula-as-savior” myth. This is the idea that doulas can save pregnant people from a score of unwanted outcomes or treatment: Bad doctors. Bad midwives.… → Read More
10 Things Every Parent Should Do With Their Kid Before They Start Kindergarten
On the day that my oldest child started kindergarten, I sobbed in the classroom as I introduced myself to his teacher. On the day that my second-oldest child start kindergarten, I wiped away tears as he marched confidently into the school. On the day that my youngest child starts kindergarten—in five months and nine days (not that I’m, um, counting)—I don’t know exactly what my crying plans are.… → Read More
Telling Moms They Should Stay At Home Hurts Moms Who Stay Home
In case you missed it, Utah Republican James Green recently spoke out about equal pay in a letter to the editor. However, unlike most reasonable people—including lawmakers from his own party—Green spoke out against equal pay. That's right, Green believes women shouldn't be paid the same as man for doing the exact same work. And his reasons were astounding: Responding to Senate Bill 210, a… → Read More
Clever Hacks That Make the Exhausting Newborn Phase Easier
Little things that make life easier for you and your little one (but mostly you) → Read More
I Told My Husband No Pictures of the C-Section
He did it anyway, and those pictures say everything → Read More
The Thing About a Mother's Love No One Tells You
Not even the birth of my first son made me understand → Read More
The One Thing I Won’t Let My Kids Eat
The idea of the mother-as-martyr is one of those especially pernicious stereotypes—one whose standards are impossible to meet, yet also impossible to shake off. On the one hand, mothers often get blamed for falling prey to maternal martyrdom. (Oh, Mom's playing the martyr again! Oh, look, she's given up her whole life for her children! Oh, there she goes, complaining about how much she's… → Read More