Lindsay Karp

1 month ago | huffingtonpost.co.uk | Lindsay Karp

When I see mothers with their toddlers, jealousy often consumes me. I pass them in the food store, giggling with a container of Puffs in hand. Sometimes a tantrum is unraveling in a battle for a small toy from the collection beside the school supplies. Stressful or not, I long for the moments they're living. When my kids were little, I was envious of every mother I saw. Both strangers at the playground and friends from our Mommy and Me class had something I didn't.

1 month ago | bezzyms.com | Lindsay Karp |Thomas Johnson

After years of waking to the slightest disturbance, I’ve found my white noise machine helps more than anything else to get a good night’s slumber. I’ve always been a very sensitive sleeper, startled by noises from outside or even gentle sounds like the heat turning on and off. When I had children, I began waking up even more often during the night to attend to their needs. In the 20 years since I developed multiple sclerosis (MS), restful sleep has become even more elusive.

1 month ago | huffpost.com | Lindsay Karp

When I see mothers with their toddlers, jealousy often consumes me. I pass them in the food store, giggling with a container of Puffs in hand. Sometimes a tantrum is unraveling in a battle for a small toy from the collection beside the school supplies. Stressful or not, I long for the moments they’re living. When my kids were little, I was envious of every mother I saw. Both strangers at the playground and friends from our Mommy and Me class had something I didn’t.

1 month ago | huffpost.com | Lindsay Karp

While watching the first season of ‚ÄúThe Handmaid‚Äôs Tale,‚ÄĚ my heart raced with panic as June held her daughter Hannah in her arms tightly while she and her husband, Luke, fled the savagery of Gilead. Sprinting through the woods, June and Hannah were caught and torn from one another in a scene every mother would be haunted by forever. In that instant, Gilead made clear its control over women and children.

1 month ago | nextavenue.org | Lindsay Karp

As a structural engineer, it made sense that my dad loved to bake. He followed recipes meticulously, mixing the dry ingredients separate from the wet as I stood on a kitchen chair beside the mixer. We baked countless chocolate chip muffins, peanut butter cookies and pineapple upside down cakes over the years. He taught me no day is complete without dessert. His mother worked magic in the kitchen.