A. Y. Berthiaume
A.Y. Berthiaume is a native Vermonter, writer, feminist, recovering middle child, hobby junkie, and a mom who’s just winging it most of the time. None of these things pay the bills so by day she’s an admin assistant and hides her cape under her cardigans. If she could conjure her own Patronus, it would be a heron. Once voted as most likely to star in a romantic comedy, people generally find her amusing and her laugh is the loudest you can hear in a movie theater. You can find some of her other writing on her blog, http://www.ayberthiaume.com. Berthiaume holds an M.F.A. in Creative Writing from the Northeast Ohio Masters of Fine Arts Program. She would like the record to state: A. Y. Berthiaume is a just a regular mom and real person figuring it out with everyone else.
Girlfriends, Mom Friends, and Female Friendship When You’re a Divorced Mom
Recently, I was reading a fellow mom blogger’s post about keeping adult friendships alive and it got me thinking about female friendship in light of my recent divorce.
Divorce is weird. You were once a...
Forging My Own Path and Giving Myself the Power of Permission
Last year I realized I can give myself permission to forge my own path.
I have spent my whole life wanting others to give me permission to follow my dreams of becoming a writer and...
Lost or Found? Our Sense of Personal Identity Within Motherhood
One night, I found myself scrolling Instagram and going to a college friend’s page. She and I had the kind of dynamic that once prompted our favorite creative writing professor to call us out...
I’m a Recovering People Pleaser, but I Don’t Want My Son to Become One
Recently, I took my son to a kids’ play space. He was happily playing independently when another child, much older than him, came in and started to remove all of the toys in that...
Mom and Writer: The Delicate Balance of Pursuing Both Dreams
When I was a little girl, I believed two things: 1) I would grow up to become a writer and 2) I would have children. It wasn’t either/or, nor was one ranked higher than...
The Silver Linings of Shared Custody According to a Divorced Mom
Divorced mom life comes with a range of challenges as I mentioned in an earlier post (which you should go read). However, there are some silver linings of a shared custody arrangement too.
Frankly,...
A Divorced Mom’s Daily Challenges from Having Only One Set of Hands
This message is brought to you by a divorced mom who would just like to get it out there that divorced life as a parent is not glamorous. Maybe no one thought that to...
Childhood Magical Thinking and the Living World of Blanket Forts
I miss the days of my own childhood magical thinking.
There was a time when I believed that when the lights went off and I fell asleep that my stuffed animals would come to...
Reflections from a Rape Survivor on Sex, Pregnancy, and Raising My Son
I am a mother, and I am also a rape survivor.
This traumatic experience has become a critical part of my personal narrative. There was me from before and then me that has existed...
Perfect Parent Versus Parent in-Progress, Flipping the Script
I’m a perfectionist by nature. As such, I apply a lot of pressure on myself to be the perfect parent.
My desire to perform optimally applies a lot of unneeded pressure on me. The...
The Greatest Showman Speaks to Me as a Dreamer and Mom
The Greatest Showman is my anthem, speaking to me as a dreamer and a mom.
If people can have spirit animals; mottos they live by; patronuses; soulmates; and the like, then I think it’s fair...
5 Low Key, Low Cost Indoor Activities for Toddlers When You’re Cooped Up
We’ve turned back our clocks and with this change, the sun now sets earlier. By the time the workday is done, night has already been summoned. I drive to pick up my son from...
Flexing My Littles Helping Muscles with Toddler Chores
Within the last year, my son has started to exert his independence by saying, “Mommy, I do it!” or, “Mommy, I do it myself!” as he helps himself to more challenging tasks than what...
10 Ways to Memorialize Life Lost Through Miscarriage
When I lost my second child through miscarriage, one of the things I found incredibly difficult was validating their existence. It seemed particularly sad that I was grappling with how to memorialize life lost...