Bonnie Rochman

When a Parent Dies

It was seeing the Britax Roundabout that did it. There was Brad Cooper, carrying that top-of-the-line carseat in one hand, booster in the other, as police escorted him out of his house the afternoon after his wifeâs body was found. I have that carseat. Four of them, believe it or not. I bought them after many hours of online research in my quest to find the safest car seat for my kids.

Posted 1 week ago.

Explosion in Aisle Three

Even after I had kids, I must admit to casting a judgmental eye at moms of tantruming toddlers. Why canât they control their kids?, Iâd reproach them in silence. I had always prided myself on not having one of those kids who prostrates himself on the filthy grocery store aisle when denied that super-size bag of Cheez Doodles.

Posted 1 week ago.

Sink or Swim

It was an offhand comment I made as we rushed out the door last week. Are you having fun at camp? I asked my son, Aviv. The answer jarred me: A little yes, a little no. A little no? Whatâs that supposed to mean? His day was full of singing, dancing, crafts, nature activities, sports, swimming and more swimming. The pool was the culprit.

Posted 2 weeks ago.

Elusive Sleep

If sleep were an animal, it would be placed on my familyâs endangered species list. Some nights, baby Orli gets up more than a newborn. Big sis Shira awakes terrified, screaming, at any hour. One morning last week, she padded out of her bed at 5:30 a.m. âIs it morning time?â she asked. âNo,â I lied as dawnâs light peeked through the skylight. My son, Aviv, set the t…

Posted 3 weeks ago.

First Birthday

We sang "Happy Birthday" as the candle cried wax tears. I could hardly contain my own. Orli is 1. Itâs a milestone Iâve been dreading practically from the minute she emerged, sweet-smelling and radiant like her name, âmy light.â The factory is closed, as my grandma used to say. No more babies. Sheâs it, the last one. And I want her babyhood to last forever.

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Got Breast Milk?

I can now add wet nurse, of sorts, to my list of occupations. Itâs not quite as it was in biblical times or, more recently, in the early part of the last century. I wasnât actually suckling another baby. And I didnât get paid. At least not in dollars. Last week, I packed up a cooler full of ivory bricks of ice, kissed my kids goodbye and set off for the Mothersâ Milk Bank at W…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Preschool Graduation

I can only imagine what it will be like one day, 13 years from now, when my oldest flies the coop. I'm having a hard enough time dealing with the end of his preschool career. Lest you paint me as a melodrama mama, allow me to explain: He was 20 months old when he first stepped into the Rising Stars class, just him and five other toddlers. Day after day, he insisted on wearing Mardi Gras beads, som…

Posted 1 mon. ago.

My Little Sports Fan

My son had a date last week with a married woman. He's 5 and she's a shade over 59, with big blue eyes and highlighted hair. More importantly, she gets the VERSUS channel. We donât. VERSUS was broadcasting the Stanley Cup finals between some penguins from some city north of the equator and some other team with what would seem to be an avian moniker. I donât remember their names.

Posted 1 mon. ago.

Hazardous to Your Health?

I got an e-mail last week from the state Office of Environmental Education. They thought they were doing me a favor by introducing me to their new Eco-Smart Parent Guide, a cheerily written pamphlet designed to promote healthier choices when it comes to your children. What they didnât know is that Iâm already a basket case attempting to safeguard my kids from, well, the world in general…

Posted 2 mon. ago.

Grateful

Perhaps the best part of Mother's Day was the drive home. We'd been in Fayetteville, spending the day with my parents. The kids were in pajamas, exhausted from a late night the evening before. I was at the wheel. We pulled out of my parents' driveway at 6:35 p.m. By 6:45, everyone â my husband included â was asleep. For 45 blissful minutes, as the sun streaked the sky pink, I drove in si…

Posted 2 mon. ago.

about this blog

Bonnie Rochman

Bonnie is a TriangleMom2Mom featured blogger, appearing every Monday.

She lives in Raleigh and has written for The News & Observer since 1998. She has covered political unrest in the Middle East and chronicled the experiences of entrepreneurs in Vietnam, but that was long before her new bosses -- there are three of them, one more demanding than the next -- presenting her with her most challenging assignment to date: juggling the needs and perceived wants of boy/girl preschoolers and their baby sister.