Susan Morrell

I wouldn’t say I’m the black sheep of the family, but I’m pretty sure my mom isn't surprised that some of the choices I’ve made in raising my son have been a little different from the way she did things. My mom gave us all she could. She stayed home to raise my sister and me for most of our childhood; she only returned to work to help put us through college.

If you are some sort of superhero, maybe you’ve actually been putting your exercise ball to good use in the weeks and months since you stopped referring to it as your “birthing ball.” But if you’re more like me, that ball has sat in the corner gathering dust, taking up precious space in increasingly cramped living quarters, and occasionally rolling across the floor to taunt you.