Welcome! I’m Michelle – an adventurer, writer, photographer, current student/future social worker, math major with a masters in economics, yada yada yada. But I think the reason you’re here is because I’m a #GirlMom to Hadley* and Olive.
Something you should know about me before you decide if we should hang out is that I don’t believe in “raising strong girls” (or even “kind” girls). I believe in raising girls who are in touch with their feelings. Claim their desire. Set boundaries. Know their hunger. And relate to their bodies as a way to move through the world, instead of as a lifelong project.
As it turns out, these are all things I was never taught. As someone living with OCD, narcolepsy, an eating disorder, and complex trauma, I’ve done a lot of my own healing, but when I found out I was pregnant with a girl, I was honestly scared. I grew up with two brothers, one nine years younger, whose upbringing I was very involved in. What could I possibly know about raising a girl? Especially as a person who is still struggling with that exact condition, in a world that praises girls who are convenient over girls who are their own.
I’ve started sharing what I needed to hear as a kid and creating the content I would want my daughter to see if she was hanging out on social media. There are so many reasons you shouldn’t follow along, starting with: I have no idea what I’m doing. But if any of this resonates, maybe give it a shot and let’s see if we can change the world. Or at least change ourselves.
Follow our adventures on instagram @usthesedays.
*We plan to raise Hadley by her birth sex until she’s old enough to tell us for herself.
This is us these days. 