To Give Birth ((new)): Teaching My Mother How

When I told my friends the title of this blog post, they laughed. Then they looked confused. "Isn't it... the other way around?"

I used to get frustrated. "Mom, just click the paperclip icon!" I’d say, my voice rising. She would shut down. Her shoulders would tense. She’d say, "I’m just not tech-smart."

So, we created The Sacred Notebook .

Who are you "teaching to give birth" in your life right now? Share the one skill you wish they would let you help with in the comments. And if you're a parent reading this? Go easy on your kids. They’re learning too. If you liked this, check out my other post: "Explaining Cloud Storage to My Dad Using a Closet and a Fishing Rod."

Taking over the mouse/keyboard. The Fix: Put your hands in your lap. Use verbal only instructions. "Move the cursor to the top left. Click once. Now type your password slowly." Pro tip: Let them press "Enter." That moment of success is the baby crowning. Celebrate it. Stage 3: Transition (The "Let me do it for you" Phase) Symptoms: Begging. "Please, just this once, do it." teaching my mother how to give birth

That’s when I realized: I was acting like a bad birth coach. I was shouting "PUSH!" without explaining how to breathe. If you are teaching a parent a new skill (technology, finance, health, or even social cues), treat it like labor. It’s messy, it hurts, but there is a beautiful result on the other side. Stage 1: Early Labor (The "Why" Phase) Symptoms: Denial. "I don't need to learn that." "Just do it for me."

I cried, though.

Yes. Usually, it is the mother who teaches the daughter about birth. But two years ago, I found myself sitting on a scratchy hospital sofa at 3:00 AM, holding my mother’s hand while she squeezed back tears. And I realized something terrifying: She has no idea what she is doing.