Belonging The Boy who Played with Girls: Part 3 The past has been knocking on the psychic door of an ever-changing self and nudging me to come home.
Belonging The Boy who Played with Girls: Part 2 Beneath the surface of grades, honor badges, and track and field medals hid these clumsy and tender moments of early childhood in Chengdu. But Fangtan, the boy who always played with girls, was never clumsy.
Parenthood A Strong Back 2: Part 3 In parenting reality, the truth seems to always lie in the uncomfortable grey of “Do whatever works, because every family is different.”
Parenthood A Strong Back 2: Part 2 My mind’s eye both marveled at and struggled to grasp the vast, instinctual knowledge of the maternal body, joy, pain, and all.
Grief The Red Papasan Chair My daughter planted a seed in my mind, a promise to both of my children that I’d hold my son to sleep in the red papasan chair for as long as he allowed. In a way, I’d be holding my daughter too.
Body and Mind A Strong Back The spine doctor warned me that pregnancy would probably make disc herniation worse. It turns out he was wrong.
Grief A Very Short Piece for My Daughter This was a piece originally written for Time To Talk TFMR podcast in November 2023, and captured perhaps only 0.1% of my daughter’s story.
Parenthood When a Layoff Means More Than a Job Loss An introspective piece written in February 2024 on navigating layoff during maternity leave
