Bonnie Rochman

Mommy Guilt

Before I had kids, I didnât have much to feel guilty about aside from a surreptitiously snagged handful of M&Mâs or a missed trip to the gym. Then I got pregnant. Slowly, quietly, guilt insinuated itself into my life. Was I eating sufficient protein to nourish the baby growing inside me? Was I keeping my burgeoning bulk within the 25- to 35-pound recommended weight gain? The situation on…

Posted 11 mon. ago.

My Teeny Drug Addicts

My two older kids are addicted to drugs: bubblegum-flavored Tylenol, Fruit Punch Motrin, honey-infused cough drops and the chewy cherry, lemons and oranges of the gummy vitamins they pop each morning. I don't think it's too farfetched to posit that this country's drug problem stems from the rainbow of yummy flavors that pharmaceutical companies mix into baby Tylenol and its ilk. Itâs got my …

Posted 11 mon. ago.

Bisphenol Ugh

Last month, The News & Observer ran a story about parents who have decided to replace their childrenâs plastic baby bottles and sippy cups with BPA-free versions. When he was beginning the story, the reporter contacted me to ask if I knew of any moms or dads he could interview. Umâ¦me?

Posted 11 mon. ago.

My Neighborhood Sex Offender

You can't judge a book by its cover, goes the saying, and it rang particularly true the other day when I opened an e-mail from my friendly homeowners' association. I clicked on a link and found a pleasant-enough looking guy, bespectacled, silvery hair parted on the right. Doing the math, I quickly figured this guy was days before his 72nd birthday when he was convicted of taking indecent liberties…

Posted 12 mon. ago.

Postpartum Help

Writing a birth plan -- those directives for nurses and doctors that lay out the mama-to-be's preferences for how she would like her birth experience to play out (epidural upon stepping foot in the hospital, for example, or drug-free no matter how sharp the pain) is notorious for being an exercise in futility.

Posted 1 yr. ago.

My Kids Voted. Did You?

If I'd voted a straight party ticket, perhaps taking the kids along would not have been a bad idea. My husband, whoâd cast his ballot before leaving for work, cautioned me against it. His warning fell on deaf â but determined â ears. And so, on a dreary, drippy Election Day morn, the three kids and I set out for our polling site. It wasnât bad planning on my part; it was int…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Flu Shot Conundrum

Last week, I took my kids to get their annual flu shots. They were happy to lick the lollipops the nurse doled out after poking them. I was happy the inactivated virus swimming through their bloodstream didnât contain mercury. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency cautions against eating fish tainted with mercury. Those old-school mercury thermometers our mothers took our temperature with …

Posted 1 yr. ago.

GASP!

As soon as I walked through the door of the old Mitchellâs Funeral Home on St. Maryâs Street, the tenor of the evening made itself known. âStop and Smell the Moose Dung,â read one sign. It was a not so thinly veiled jab at Republican vice presidential candidate Sarah Palin, she of Alaskan provenance. Iâd come to observe the latest meeting of GASP!, a newly formed Raleigh g…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Baby Steps

Last year, I had a baby. This year, this month, suddenly it seems as if I don't. Babies lie swaddled on their backs, then one day, they learn to roll over onto their tummies, then to survey the world on hands and knees. Babies crawl. Everyone else walks. Overnight, or more realistically, over the course of nearly 500 nights, Orli has joined the ranks of the latter. Her thighs have fewer folds than…

Posted 1 yr. ago.

Home Free?

Last week, my husband assumed the role of Mr. Mom, so much so that we even switched cars. He piloted my minivan with its two car seats and booster as I climbed behind the wheel of his Highlander. Our babysitter was sick, and our sonâs teacher was counting on me to volunteer in her kindergarten class. Dov had to beg off work to spend the morning with the baby.

Posted 1 yr. 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.

Bonnie also writes kids music reviews for TriangleMom2Mom.