Mommy Dish | Dishing about Family and Food

Politics and Kids Books Don’t Mix

Posted on August 12, 2019 by Mommy Dish

Here I am, the day before my children’s book, When You Lived in My Belly, makes its big debut after nearly six years of endless work to bring it to market, smack dab in an abortion debate. 🙄🤬😔

I might be developing a bald spot from all of my head scratching these past couple of days.🤦‍♀️ Is anything safe from ugly commentary anymore? 🤷‍♀️

In an era of unprecedented political discourse, rampant verbal venom spewed by cowardly trolls hiding behind avatars and keyboards, and a societal desire to make a point at any cost, some believe dragging my innocent children’s book into the abortion debate is okay.

It’s not okay. 🛑

Never in my life did I think my book would serve as a fire starter for pro-lifers trying to make me one of them.

I am not one of them. 🤐

I am a pro-choice mom who wrote a book about pregnancy. That’s it. I mean, look at the book cover…one would think anything but abortion, right?! 😧

Let me tell you what When You Lived in My Belly IS:

It IS a love letter to my son about the special time we shared when he lived in my belly, inspired by one of his questions. One day, he interrupted his endless “Why?” barrage to inquire about our innate bond: “What was it like when I lived in your belly?” My book gives him the answer with a month-by-month storytelling of pregnancy. It gives children a glimpse into a past they can’t remember, and takes moms back to a time they will never forget. 🤱

It IS the fulfillment of my beautiful mother’s dream. Ovarian cancer took her life nearly six years ago, at age 64, before she could write a children’s book of her own. After I endured the gut-wrenching task of burying my best friend in the world, I decided to write it in her honor and in her memory. 💞🦋

It IS a book that features kid-friendly descriptions of the developmental milestones babies reach in utero, coupled with the corresponding physical and emotional changes experienced by moms. 🤰

It IS a conversation starter about pregnancy. It is my hope that moms and kids read it together, and talk about how their love and bond is like no other.

It IS a keepsake, with a special page for moms to pen a note about their individual pregnancy journey. ❤️

Let me tell you what When You Lived in My Belly is NOT:

It is NOT a pro-life book. Yes, I am stating that again for emphasis. I firmly believe in a woman’s right to choose.

It is NOT your sounding board. If you try to post comments making me out to be a pro-lifer, or attacking Planned Parenthood, or applauding me for taking a stance about conception, I will delete your comment. I have deleted several comments. Trust me, as a journalist, I am so torn about disrupting free speech, but I simply cannot allow myself or my book to be painted in a way that is completely wrong and against who I am as a woman.

I cannot control reviewers—one wrote, “I greatly appreciate the author’s stance that the baby is a human being while in the uterus,” which has nothing really to do with taking a hard look at the book itself—but I can control what appears on my social media pages. And I will when it comes to making me something I am not.

It is NOT a delivery by stork book. One can see the developing baby in the belly. I did this intentionally (with the help of incredible illustrators Jody Kind Camarra and Caryn King) to give kids a realistic visual of how they developed in utero. I did NOT do this to shame women who make the excruciatingly difficult decision to get an abortion.

I can be a pro-choice woman who wrote a children’s book about pregnancy. 👍 That’s my CHOICE. Don’t dare take it away from me. ✌️

For all of the sane people who recognize When You Lived in My Belly for what it is, a celebration of pregnancy and the maternal bond, I thank you for your support. 😘

Posted in Uncategorized | 46 Comments

When You Lived in My Belly Is Available for Presale; Out 8.6.19

Posted on July 21, 2019 by Mommy Dish

Here’s the press release for When You Lived in My Belly, available for presale now and out August 6, 2019:

Popular Parenting Writer Publishes When You Lived in My Belly

Mothers of curious youngsters will be delighted to hear of author Jodi Meltzer Darter’s new children’s picture book just for them. When You Lived in my Belly centers on teaching young children about pregnancy, so that they can better understand what the nine months leading up to their entry into the world entailed. The book turns otherwise difficult material into a fun storytelling experience with whimsical rhyming patterns and colorful illustrations.

When You Lived in My Belly gives children a glimpse into a past they can’t remember, and takes moms back to a time they will never forget. Each page is broken up by month, and told from the perspective of both baby and mom. Darter shares personal experiences with pregnancy that all moms can relate to, from early cravings to the baby’s first movements to kissing her newborn, alongside the corresponding developmental milestones reached in utero. The book is a keepsake treasure that fosters meaningful conversations between mothers and children, with a page for moms to pen a note to their child about their individual pregnancy journey.

A mom of one and bonus mom to two, Jodi is well-aware of what the beautiful chaos of parenting looks like. Based out of a Boston suburb, Jodi is an accomplished blogger and writer who lives with her beloved husband, kids, and rescue dog. She has numerous writing credits in The Huffington Post, The Stir, The Mighty, and Scary Mommy. Before motherhood, she worked as an award-winning television anchor and reporter.

Jodi can also be found on her blogs, jodidarter.com and mommydish.net, where she shares funny anecdotes about mommy life, from her son’s suspicions of her role as the Tooth Fairy to her thoughts on why the term “blending families” does not work.

To set up an interview, reading, signing, or for information regarding When You Lied in My Belly please contact Anna-Marie Collins at [email protected].

When You Lived in My Belly is registered with the American Wholesale Book Company, Baker & Taylor, Follett Library Resources, and Ingram, and available online with the following retailers: Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books A Million, and Mascot Books.

Posted in Uncategorized | Comments Off

When My Son’s Father Died, His Teachers Gave Him Encouragement Only They Could Deliver

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Mommy Dish

My beloved 8-year-old son lost his father 8 months ago. At such a tender, impressionable age, he hand selected the dapper suit and tie he would wear to his dad’s funeral, he delivered an incomparable eulogy that inspired both belly laughs and gut-wrenching sobs from the audience, and he lovingly shoveled dirt on his grave, per Jewish tradition. (Disclaimer: I told him to do only what he felt comfortable doing; it was his choice to do it all.)

On that dreadful day, I could no longer call him a little boy; the profound loss of his dad instantly made him a young man.

I remember sitting in the front row in absolute awe of my son, and I wasn’t alone. His teacher from this year was there. His teacher from last year was there. His vice principal was there. His school psychologist was there. They sat together in a row, willing my son on, encouraging him from a distance. If I close my eyes, I can still see their supportive nods, their concerned eyes, their sad expressions.

I did not tell the school about my ex-husband’s funeral. I alerted them that my son would be absent to grieve his dad, but I didn’t ask them to come. They came on their own, knowing one of their students needed comfort only they could deliver.

This week, during Teacher Appreciation Week, I received an email from my son’s teacher. During her lesson planning, she thought about how this Father’s Day will be especially difficult for my son. She offered to skip a class craft activity in honor of Father’s Day if it would make my son sad. This extraordinarily empathetic gesture floored me.

Here it is, Mother’s Day Weekend, and his teacher, a mother herself, is worried about Father’s Day and how my son will handle it.

In my world, teacher appreciation is an understatement. 🙌💯

My son opted to give the green light for the craft–he adores his stepdad and grandfathers– but felt so good about his teacher asking him first. I felt so good about her asking me first.

Educators like my son’s are real life heroes. I swear, when he saw them at his dad’s funeral, one would think they were wearing capes. They made him beam on the saddest day of his life, and they give him the support he needs to keep going…and keep smiling.

Thank a teacher today, and every day.#TeacherAppreciationWeek

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged grief, teacher | Comments Off

I Let Go of My Mom’s Stuff for Mother’s Day

Posted on May 10, 2019 by Mommy Dish