Joni Edelman

You know what’s an epidemic? Making people feel second rate and ashamed, criminalizing them for something like having an obese pregnancy.

I don’t think anyone who has been to the spirited child parenting rodeo would call a mother who screams, “bad,” or who loses her temper, a “failure.” I think we all understand parenting is really really hard from the get go, and parenting a kid who won’t sleep, who screams and kicks and says they hate you, is its own challenge

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 mother didn't teach me how to be a mother. But my babies did.

As a celebration of the Ravishly community, we welcome you to #RavsReaders, a weekly feature where we'll spotlight one of our beloved readers.

At certain points in the month I definitely feel worse about my body. I'm much less confident and more prone to eating the wrong things, and not doing physical exercise.

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.

You do not have to hate your body — but you don’t have to love it either. While I'm happy with my fat body, I miss being thin.

1. All vaginas are good vaginas.

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?