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All posts for the day June 2nd, 2011

Hypocrisy is the Greatest Luxury (Raise the Double Standard!)

Posted by AtheistMom on June 2, 2011
Posted in: Atheism, Parenting, Reason, Religion. Tagged: , , . 4 comments

(The title of this post comes from a band I used to listen to in Junior High when I was pseudo-angry and really cutting edge but still deeply nerdy. They’re actually worth a listen if you can stand academic rap. )

In the past I have called for fellow Atheists to come out of the closet. Richard Dawkins is leading the charge to encourage non-believers to stop hiding behind the term “agnostic” and tell the people they work with, live with and love that they are Atheists. I believe strongly in this principle and know that it is the surest way to gain acceptance and end the ignorance that so often accompanies the “A word”.

And yet (this is where the hypocrisy comes in) I haven’t done the same in my own life. Now don’t get me wrong, everyone who knows me knows I’m an Atheist. My family, all my friends and anyone who ever happens to bring up the subject of religion within a 10 mile radius of me, all know how I feel. (Although I have learned to be a little less psycho militant about it as I’ve gotten older. It doesn’t exactly endear you to people.) On this blog however, I have remained anonymous and it has been nagging at me for ages.

There were several reasons why I chose not to use my name and simply go with Atheist Mom. It provides me with a sense of freedom to write about whatever and whomever I choose without the fear of repercussion. Mostly, I was concerned that my in-laws might be offended by what I have to say about their cult religion. My husband also has a completely irrational fear that I would be endangering our kids by posting their pictures online next to the word “Atheist”. Irrational but not crazy. So, we’ve reached a compromise – I will post our pictures but not our last name. Is that still wimping out? It’s a tough one – I want to introduce you to my family and my life but I also want to protect them and my husband is a pretty private guy. I’m trying to remain true to my ideals without pissing off the man I love.

So, there I am – up in the right-hand corner. Atheist Mom…also known as Caroline.

And here are my adorable babes:

Hiatus

Posted by AtheistMom on June 2, 2011
Posted in: Parenting. Tagged: , , . 5 comments

Sheesh, you would think I fell of the planet, or died or had a baby or something. Oh right, I did. Have a baby that is. :) Sorry for my absenteeism folks – been a little busy. So here is the story in a nutshell:

On April 23rd (much later than the doctor had ever thought I would make it) I had a baby boy weighing 6lbs 12oz. (Am I the only one who thinks it’s weird that we announce a baby’s weight. I mean the range is so small really. If the baby is 12 lbs and you pushed it out of your vagina, hey, scream it to the world. But if it’s a normal size baby then it doesn’t really mean anything, does it?) He was born by c-section just before 11am and he is perfect.

Or he was, until he came down with sepsis (a blood infection) and spent the next nest 8 days in the NICU. It was a long, taxing, exhausting and desperate week. I cried every morning because I was leaving my daughter at home and cried every night because I had to leave my son at the hospital. (I know there are parents who do this for much longer than I had to and to be honest I don’t know how they do it. I guess, you just do it. ) My poor daughter, who had been dying to meet her new baby for months and months, developed an infection herself just days after he was born and was barred from visiting the NICU. Poor kid. All in all, it sucked but little guy pulled through and despite many needles, a central line, IV’s, a lumbar puncture and a shaved head (all that cute baby fuzz – gone), he came home and is doing really well.

So, now we are living the normal life of a family with a newborn. I’m tired and a bit frazzled but head over heels in love. I keep thinking of things to post and then I just can’t find the time. I started this post at least three times before it actually got finished and published and the days are quickly turning into weeks. Rest assured, I have not forgotten you and Atheist Mom is still alive and well functioning.