My Octopus Teacher

I once read that whale mothers lift their calves to the surface before they have enough fat for buoyancy. After performing this task for the calf’s first weeks of life, she is sleep-deprived and exhausted. Sound familiar? Thanks, motherhood. 

My kids are 11, 9, and 5. Sure, we’re out of the diaper stage. It may not be so physically taxing as the burden of a whale mother, but, Oh my, the mental gymnastics! 

Am I giving them enough independence? How much screen time have they had this week? Are they consuming enough vegetables? And the one my children despise the most- How are your poops? 

When it comes to the mental burden of talking to your daughter about puberty, the questions are: Where do I start? When do I have this discussion with her? How do I talk to her about puberty without broaching the topic of sex?

That’s where the experts come in. We’ve been answering those questions from parents and the amazingly nuanced questions from 9-11 year olds for over a decade.

My kids and I recently watched My Octopus Teacher, a documentary about an octopus who gives birth, and uses all her energy and resources to feed and nurture her spawn. When they leave, she has no strength or capacity to live and she withers away on the ocean floor until a shark eats her. I feel that in the depths of my soul. Thanks, motherhood.