In His Shoes…
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
We are entering year 3 of the pandemic. I'd like to take a moment to step out of our own shoes and into those of our children. I have guest writer Rashaud Allen providing his unique perspective as a high school student at the peak of the pandemic. He gives a peek into his experience and how he navigated the experience: "Imagine you’re a highschool senior; your prom is a month away, you’re doing well in school, and you’ve just received an acceptance letter from your college of choice. Then suddenly, BOOM! All of your plans, hopes, and dreams come to a crashing hault as the world enters a pande ..read more
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Celebrating the Small Wins
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
So... Many of us have come to understand that parenting and specifically Motherhood is a marathon. The moment we step into mothering, we enter a literal lifelong journey with our children and with ourselves. The path is littered with trials, triumphs, obstacles, growth and pain. The constant whirlwind that is life when you are a mother can be monotonous and even exhausting. But there are still wins. Honestly, as a mother of 4, I can find myself engulfed by the many jobs I take on to make sure our home and the kids' lives run smoothly. Sometimes it is difficult to find joy in a role that is ne ..read more
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Keeping Stride Through the Storm
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
It's strange place that I've found myself existing in… As a "millennial," I'm finding myself living in the midst of yet another historic world event... Being a millennial has got to be an iconic title at this point, but to be honest, I'm over it... We are on year 2 of the plague, with no real end in sight... So in true mom style, we're making adjustments again to see where our families fit in the big picture. Some of us have transitioned from the work force and many of us have become teachers. Others of us are finding our footing in the workplace with a pandemic. All of us are making the neces ..read more
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Sometimes I Cry.
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
Sometimes I cry... I am thankful for motherhood. It has humbled me and grown me and given me a level of understanding that is unmatched. And yet, sometimes I cry... The first baby I took home with me was all the love I could have ever asked for, wrapped in the softest blue blanket... He was the physical manifestation of everything his father and I had to offer, brought to life by the love we held for one another. He brought another level of joy to our home. He and his big brother were a match made in God's eyes. His giggles and tiny feet showed me a love that I could not otherwise have known ..read more
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The Nod
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
In the recent state of the world, many of us have been swept away in the madness... Personally, I was already working in a white male dominated field. That alone was already a significant stressor. As a mother of 4 at home that works outside the home, the recent pandemic sent our family into a tailspin. I am the manager of my department at work and considered, "essential personnel." Thankfully, I was in the position to work from home to a degree. I have tried and not quite succeeded in being a stay at home mom in the past. It was not in the best interest of my mental health. This go round, I h ..read more
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I Can’t Heal If I’m Pretending to Not Be Hurt…
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
Photo by Julia Peretiatko on Unsplash This is us. When I look at the women that look like me, we've settled into a norm. What's wild is that the norm looks like two extremes. We see either the black woman as a martyr or the black woman as a nagging bitter bitch. Now, we have to first acknowledge the fact that our image in the media is a largely controlled narrative used to impose a negative esteem. The black woman as a martyr teaches us the tried and true grin and bear it. We are expected to be the whipping boy in every situation and to take it as a badge of honor. How bad of a ..read more
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A Working Mom
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
Photo by Minh Pham on Unsplash  My Experience as a Working Mom So naturally, as the independent woman I claim to be, I started off motherhood as a working mom. Yayy... Not going to lie, it felt pretty breezy with our first kid. I had it together.  I felt like the trendy California moms we see on TV. Our son was born in the middle of my husband's deployment. While my husband was fortunate enough to be home for his birth, he was sent back out shortly after. For the most part it was me and the little man. We took walks, went to the the beaches, hit the mall regularl ..read more
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I’m Really a Mom
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
Photo by The Creative Exchange on Unsplash  I Can't Believe I'm a Mom... People that know me personally usually think that i was born to be a mother. I'm a Cancer ... So I'm naturally super sensitive and caring. I'm also very protective and supportive of loved ones. Seems like the perfect setup for motherhood, right? Maybe... It was never part of my master plan. I was never opposed to motherhood... (except for a while when I was 17 and convinced the world was ending soon so what's the use of having kids just to go through the apocalypse??‍♀️??‍♀️) Aside from that  ..read more
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My Introduction to Motherhood
Confessions of a Black Mom
by Raina Gilbert
2y ago
Photo by Carolyn V on Unsplash  Starting Out Growing up, I never specifically thought much about getting married or having babies... If anything, I mused at the opposite. As a person that spends the majority of my time as a prisoner of sorts in my own mind, I found it freeing to let the wind carry me in my teen and early adult years. When I did elope hundreds of miles away from my family and friends, the deep thoughts of pregnancy never so much as crossed my mind. As a black girl growing up in the southern Bible belt, there was a lot of emphasis on abstinence and pregnancy ..read more
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