Joni Edelman

It doesn’t get any more difficult to insult ourselves, regardless of how old we are. It would be ideal if it got easier to respect ourselves, but it generally doesn’t do that either. Every year you age, and every year the aging you looks at the you of the years before and thinks, I can’t believe I thought I was fat/ugly/etc.

I didn't get a lot of mothering as a child, but when I did, it was from her. She taught me how to sew, how to crochet. She taught me how to stand up for myself, to be tough. She taught me how to make fried chicken and fried okra, which I will never make, because it's fucking gross.

My cocktail is wrong. It’s a gin and tonic with only gin. It’s a martini with 10 olives. And I can’t stand the sun. Not today. Not this month.

I’m lucky to be smart, to have an astonishingly good memory. Or maybe I’m lucky to be bipolar.

photo credit: Lindy West (instagram), by

It's not always easy to find a new partner when you have kids in tow. But not only is it possible, it's worth it.

How do I raise a boy to love and respect all women regardless of size in a world where he is bombarded with images of what is attractive?

“I don’t even know what to say, Joni. Your baby isn’t alive.”

Having kids doesn't have to mean the death of your sex life.

You can work your butt off and still be left with a tummy. Bummer.