Q03

Think about a major milestone that happened with your family this past year. How has this affected you?

My wife left me. My brother found a true partner. My parents danced. Hurt. Grateful. Hopeful.

Buying our new house has been incredibly stressful for me. It's affected me in so many ways, but I am most disappointed by how it's influenced my interaction with my family. This should have been a joyful time, but instead it was largely one of anger and frustration. I need to allow myself to let go a little more and to worry less. I think the new house will be a great place for the kids to grow through the second half of their childhoods. I hope I can improve my personal ability to manage stress so I am a source of happy memories for them.

This is going to be ever-present in my answers this year, but our first baby was born. The birth was such a traumatic event, but then we've had this amazing baby. This amazing baby, who was so lovely and so incredibly boring as a newborn. I let myself off the hook with a lot of "shoulds" about how I was behaving (surprising and good!), I've found even more trust and support and love in my marriage than I thought possible, and it's made me much more aware of the expanse of time that our lives cover. I'm trying to figure out who I want to be as a mother.