What is perimenopause really like?
An examination, in Reddit hed form
I peruse the perimenopause sub on Reddit, and sometimes the conversation topics make me laugh in their heartfelt angst and how they cover such an insane range of symptoms. But there is a type of gallows humor, a type of furious disbelief, that makes me feel like while peri is a hard age to endure on your own, when we assemble, we’re kind of funny. I think if you’ve ever wondered whether you can be funny and perimenopausal the answer is… … …. what was the question?
Here were some favorites I’ve screenshotted over the last few months:
End credits
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If you’ve read this far, I’m collecting witchy experiences for a story I’ve been mulling over about how becoming a parent can force you to become an expert in running an organization/system you never would have before and how kids take it for granted that grownups know how to run a committee/team/meeting/project. As a parent, have you had to learn more than you ever intended about something like balancing (someone else’s) budget, building infrastructure, zoning, transformation, or team management? Let me know in the comments or reply to this email.
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One witchy thing
Loving, evergreen statement I frequently exchange with a childhood friend who is a lifelong educator and also my son’s godmother:
As an underemployed mother in America, I joined the PTA at my kids' school to make mom friends and to feel productive and, of course, to curry favor with the teachers and admin.
Turns out that running PTA shit is an actual (unpaid) job. I was in charge of fundraising for two years and a) priced out school-logo swag to give as incentives to donors while maintaining my profit margins, b) created a badass multi-tab spreadsheet where I learned how to make PIVOT TABLES and c) raised $30K each year.
Am I a businesswoman now? Yes, yes I am. I went on to be President, and now I can do anything. I can chair an ice cream social for 1600 people over three days in my sleep. I am extroverting my introvert self like never before for my kids. Most importantly, I am putting all this shit on my resume! And I tell other hardworking witchy moms to stop gaslighting themselves about their capabilities and get work-world credit for this kind of invisible labor too.
In learning how to advocate for my twice-exceptional kid, I am inadvertently becoming an expert in state and federal laws regarding special education and giftedness. I now know so much more about state mandates than I ever wanted to, and I am considering pivoting my career into disability rights advocacy.