On Sunday, CBS News chief foreign correspondent Lara Logan spoke of the violent sexual assault she suffered in February during an assignment in Egypt. Her awful ordeal began when a mob celebrating the fall of the dictatorship there turned angry.

I was surprised to learn she had two young children, a one and a two year old. I would think it would be hard to leave such young kids as much as she does for her job, but, she mention in her “60 Minutes” interview that she loves being a journalist and must make the sacrifices. Like I hope we all do, she does what she feels is best for her family. Also, when I heard she was covering this event, I was scared for her. She’s a pretty woman in a country, in the middle of a mob, where it’s been said the men don’t think too highly of women. I was so sad to hear this happened to her.

In her interview she said at first she just gave up. She said she told herself she was dying and sort of gave into it. She then mentioned the thought of leaving her children without a mother—she then fought to stay alive. She said that she was not going to let those men take her children’s mother away from them.

I remember thinking when Lincoln was born that it would be in someone’s best interest to not mess with my family. I got a confidence and mama bear attitude that made me pity the fool who tried to mess with my son. A few days later, when I realized how important I was, the heightened protection for me kicked in.

Thinking how I do (and because I watch too much TV), my senses are keen and my mind is always on—not only in situations when I’m with Linc, but also when I’m alone.

I drive myself places a little slower, I double check the lock on the front door, I avoid parking garages and being in places I deemed unsafe instead of just walking really fast through them. I wasn’t putting myself in unsafe situations before, but I definitely wasn’t this protective of me.

Hopefully, I never have to be in this fight—the fight for my life. I know, though, if it came down to it there isn’t anything I wouldn’t do to save myself because Lincoln needs me for his mama.

Are you extra protective of yourself now that you have kids? An icky thought, but I know you've thought it!

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Erin Hill is a first-time mom to Lincoln, who was born in January 2010. She's learning as she goes and is experiencing everything a new mom goes through while seeing the humor, irony, and enjoyment in her adventures.

Erin is a full-time technical writer and features freelance writer in her "spare time." She lives in Plum with Lincoln, her husband, Adam, their dog, Roxie, and five (yes, five) cats, Nirvana, Gary Roberts, Elvis, Talbot and Forrest.

According to BabyCenter.com, we're smack in the middle of the "crisis age" for separation anxiety, and Lincoln knows it.

I started getting warnings from the site and others that this was coming when he was around six months old. So, silly me thought we were out of the woods when he hit one and didn't have any incidents. I should have read the fine print that said it can start as early as six months and go on into the beginning of the toddler years.

Surprisingly, I'm not as affected by it emotionally as I thought I would be. I take him into daycare and turn off my "GOD I'M GOING TO MISS YOU SO MUCH!!! PLEASE, PLEASE DO ANYTHING YOU CAN TO ALLOW ME TO STAY WITH YOU" switch (do you have one of those?). Luckily for us all I'm a rip-off-the-band-aid kind of a person--kiss, hug, "bye-byes," hand him over and I'm out the door. (Last week I wrote about sticking around at daycare, but that was before I knew what he was doing. We hang out at home a little longer in the morning.). I do hang out for a second outside the door and the little stinker stops crying as soon as I'm out of sight. If he continued to cry, I'd be telling you a different story.

I do understand this behavior--I finally moved out at 25--but why is he over it so quickly. Is your breakfast really a good deterrent for mourning my absence? How come when I go to pick him up, he doesn't want to go with me because he's having so much fun? Don't you remember when you wouldn't let go of my neck this morning, little guy? Now, a block is better than going home with me?

They're puzzles, aren't they? Little, tiny, adorable puzzles.

Anyone dealing with this now? How are you doing?

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Erin Hill is a first-time mom to Lincoln, who was born in January 2010. She's learning as she goes and is experiencing everything a new mom goes through while seeing the humor, irony, and enjoyment in her adventures.

Erin is a full-time technical writer and features freelance writer in her "spare time." She lives in Plum with Lincoln, her husband, Adam, their dog, Roxie, and five (yes, five) cats, Nirvana, Gary Roberts, Elvis, Talbot and Forrest.

When I was little everyone in my house knew not to make my mom late for work.

“God help you if I’m late for work,” I remember her saying when I was late getting up, slow getting ready, looking for my homework, etc. in the morning.

It may sound mean, but I don’t look back at it now as anything too horrible. It’s definitely something I never want to say to my kids. In my mind, if my mom was late, she’d lose her job, we’d be thrown out into the street, it would be my fault, and there’d be Hell to pay. I was scared. (I’m still scared of my mom—all 5 foot, 100 pounds of her).

This morning when Linc was clinging to my neck at daycare--instead of prying him away because I had to go to work or worry about being late-- I just stood there with him. He obviously needed that. He needed me to hold him. How can I walk away from that?

I’m lucky, though. There’s no set time I have to be at work and I’m so very thankful for that now more than ever. Sometimes, I take a little extra time with him in the morning or, on occasions such as today, wait with him until he’s ready for his daycare day to begin. There’s no rush, and it certainly saves me some guilt.

I do this a lot. I don't rush him out the door or spring a trip on him. We prepare well in advance. I guess this comes from me being rushed and how I felt about it. Either way--going when you want or going when they want--is fine, I'm sure. I just have experience on the other side of the rushing situation.

Of course, when he’s older I won’t let him leisurely get himself ready for school if we’re late, but, for now while he doesn’t understand time, I’m all for waiting until he’s ready to go and/or let me go.

 

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Erin Hill is a first-time mom to Lincoln, who was born in January 2010. She's learning as she goes and is experiencing everything a new mom goes through while seeing the humor, irony, and enjoyment in her adventures.

Erin is a full-time technical writer and features freelance writer in her "spare time." She lives in Plum with Lincoln, her husband, Adam, their dog, Roxie, and five (yes, five) cats, Nirvana, Gary Roberts, Elvis, Talbot and Forrest.

As I was watching Lincoln run around the Washington Monument in D.C. two weekends ago it dawned on me that we were on our first family vacation. I started to tear up.

I kept telling him all week that it was his first road trip, his first hotel stay, his first time in a different state, etc., but I never put it all together that it was a big first for all three of us.

When I was little, every year my family always did a big summer trip. We went to New York City, D.C. Williamsburg—all those kinds of places. I remember thinking that it must be a huge deal to get a family vacation together, and you must need a lot of money for everyone to go and do the activities we got to do. I remember thinking that when I had my own family I hoped I’d be lucky enough and as “rich” as my parents to take them somewhere fun.

We did it, and I didn’t even realize it until I was in it.

I know Lincoln didn’t know what exactly we were doing. He knew we were not in our house, the pets weren’t there, and riding the elevator and pushing its buttons were super fun. He saw our Capitol, monuments/memorials (yes, the Lincoln Memorial, of course), the White House, and went to two museums. No, he won’t remember this trip.

I will, though.

I can’t tell you how much my heart warmed seeing my son enjoy himself on our vacation. I’m so happy my husband and I could give that for him—turns out you don’t have to be rich to go on vacation. I look forward to many more family vacations. We’re planning another one now!

Where was your first family vacation? Were you as sappy as me about it?

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Erin Hill is a first-time mom to Lincoln, who was born in January 2010. She's learning as she goes and is experiencing everything a new mom goes through while seeing the humor, irony, and enjoyment in her adventures.

Erin is a full-time technical writer and features freelance writer in her "spare time." She lives in Plum with Lincoln, her husband, Adam, their dog, Roxie, and five (yes, five) cats, Nirvana, Gary Roberts, Elvis, Talbot and Forrest.