Author: Jasmine Sharma

  • Embrace the Crosswalk

    Every morning Monday through Friday, I walk the older two boys across the crosswalk to school. We park across the street, always hoping for a spot close to the corner! I grab their backpacks and they run over to the corner and wait patiently for the crosswalk signal. It’s a small mundane routine, ordinary in…

  • Embrace the Slip

    This week, I slipped. Over the weekend, on Saturday, I felt triggered, and instead of pausing, I reacted. Quickly. Sharply. I thought briefly in my mind to take a pause, ground myself, walk out of the room to take a break, and in that moment, my work in therapy showed up as I knew I…

  • Embrace the Rainbows

    Happy New Year all! Last week, on New Year’s Day, we piled the kids into the car after I finished rounding in the nursery, and off we went to visit two of our best friends and their kids in Las Vegas. That day, it was raining extremely hard, with flash flood warnings going off on…

  • Embrace the Rest They Need

    Sometimes at family gatherings, when we don’t bring the kids because of their naps or bedtime, we are always asked why we are so rigid with their sleep. Then, an aunty or an uncle will bring up how their kids (those in my generation) would fall asleep on someone’s lap at a wedding, how bed…

  • Embrace the Peace Within

    For most of my life, I thought kindness meant saying yes. That the best version of me was the one who could anticipate everyone else’s needs, smooth over awkward moments, and keep the peace at all costs. I told myself it was empathy, it was maturity, and it was love. But lately I’ve realized it…

  • Embrace the Skin You’re In

    I’ve never been someone who loved looking in the mirror. Walking by a mirror, I never felt the need to look over at it. What for? For years, I couldn’t even glance without feeling that familiar pang, that quiet discomfort in my own skin. I never felt happy with what I would see in that…

  • Embrace the Unmade Meal

    Growing up, my grandma and mom were forces in the kitchen. They made all our meals, even if that wasn’t what I wanted. Breakfast? Eggs or cereal. Lunch? Quick vegetable noodles if we were lucky. Dinner? Fresh roti, daal, and some sabzi at minimum. It was like a full-time restaurant that never closed. And me?…

  • Embrace the Golden Hour

    There’s a certain magic in the golden hour, that brief window when the world slows down, the sun softens, and everything seems to be wrapped in a warm light. Lately, my boys have been noticing it too, and to them, every color feels like a discovery. With the time change recently, the sun sets right…

  • Embrace the Boredom Before the Magic

    If you’ve ever heard the words “I’m bored” on repeat (pronounced “I’m booooooooored“), you know it’s both a declaration of war (on you) and a promise of creativity (by the kids). In our house, those two words echo right before something wild happens. Imagine this scenario. You just settle down to sit on the couch…

  • Embrace the Quiet Light

    Diwali is coming up this weekend, and this year, for some reasons related to family, it’s going to be a quiet one in our household. No big celebrations, no over-the-top lights, no matching outfits. As much as I used to enjoy all of that, honestly, it feels nice this year. Life can be overwhelming sometimes,…

  • Embrace the Creator and Destroyer

    Dear Uterus, Though this letter is about my own journey with you, I also want to hold space for all those whose stories with their uterus are different, for those who’ve wanted children but couldn’t, for those who’ve chosen not to, for those whose uterus causes only pain, or for those who have none at…

  • Embrace the Imperfect Standard

    Medicine in general has an objective standard, and although each patient has their nuanced diagnoses, overall there are guidelines and algorithms to base your exams off of. I may not always have the perfect answer, but I know I am practicing to the best of my ability, guided by training, evidence, and mainly, the responsibility…

  • Embrace yourself

    Last week, I traveled to Portugal with my husband for a cousin’s wedding without the kids, and it was exactly what I needed: a chance to recharge. And honestly? I need to do that more often. We fully expected for everyone to give us grief about not bringing the kids to a family wedding, for…

  • Embrace all the shit

    Mornings at our house? Pure chaos. It’s 5 a.m., and D is fussing in bed. I go in to cover him with his blanket, pat his back, and hope he drifts back to sleep. Then A starts crying because he wants a hug (at 515am?!?!) H comes running over, claiming he had a bad dream…

  • Embrace the Legacy of Love

    My grandparents are the reason I am who I am. My paternal grandfather taught me to be kind. My maternal grandfather taught me to be optimistic. My paternal grandmother taught me to love. My maternal grandmother taught me to be patient. Even my husband’s grandparents taught me many lessons. My husband’s paternal grandmother taught me…

  • Embrace the cheerleader

    One day H came running to me, crying, screaming something about V. I paused and let him gather himself, and asked him what happened. H said, ‘V told me that this drawing is ugly!’ Poor kid, he had spent over 15 minutes, which is a LONG time for a 4 year old, trying to draw…

  • Embrace the Moment

    You’ll often hear people say, ‘Savor every moment. You’ll miss these days.’ It’s well-intentioned advice, really meant to encourage gratitude and presence in the midst of our venting sessions. But when you’re in the thick of parenting, while running on fumes, juggling endless tasks, and barely holding it all together, those words can feel more…

  • Embrace the Mangoes!

    I am ready to give up my life for my kids, do anything for those little sweet terrors, except they know one thing: DO NOT EAT MAMA’S MANGOES! The poor kids watch as they eat their measly strawberries or apples, while I slurp up the juices off my mango peels. Beady little eyes watching me…

  • Embrace the Different Rooms

    I once read that every stage of motherhood and childhood is like a different room. Newborn, early toddler, late toddler, grade school, etc. We essentially have four different rooms at our home at all times that we have to keep checking in on. As beautiful of an idea as that is, it also requires my…

  • Embrace the Hard Work

    One day while the kids were eating a snack, the eldest, V, looks at me and asks, “Mama is it a lot of work being a parent?” I stopped eating my mango, and laughed. “Yes, it is a lot of work but it’s the best work ever,” I said to him. He smiled and continued…