Women: we need to stop talking down about our babies. We owe ourselves this chance to teach the future generation that they are individuals. They are not defined by their gender. They are not held back by their gender. They are loved by their mothers and fathers no matter who they are or who they become. Let's start with our youngest little ladies. Let's teach them that sisterhood is their biggest strength, not something their mother "has to handle".

So, when Brooke said "leaving so much of myself on the table," it stuck with me. It's not an epiphany that this is what we all struggle with. We know that we could be so much more. We could be more of a force at our jobs, we could be the Pinterest mom, we could start that business we always wanted, we could be the poster child of health and fitness. But there's only so much time. We can have it all. Just not everyday.

My grandma never portrayed the role as submissive female. She was the boss. Sure, she was never a CEO or high powered executive or attorney. But I never thought of her as unaccomplished. And she certainly slayed gender equality before it was even a thing.It's hard to put into words, but looking back, here are the lessons she taught me

I would love to tell you that this is just a one time occurrence, but just like most parents, my mind is trained to assume that the worst-case-scenario is the most likely scenario. Pool = drowning. Street = run over by a car. Grapes/hot dog = choking. Button batteries = eroded esophagus. New babysitter = kidnapper (or worse). Conventional non-organic produce = cancer.