Who am I and what am I doing here?

I am Lauren KB O’Connell, developmental-behavioral pediatrician, she/her, married to a he/him, with three boys ages 16, 12 (almost 13), and 3.5. My eldest instructed me that I will need to use titles/nicknames to keep the children (semi-)anonymous. I do not have any in mind (if you know my kids, feel free to make suggestions in the comments) so will probably just not talk about them for now. Take that, teen.

Best to know up top that I am:

• an omnivoracious reader

• a practicing Catholic, hopefully of the Servant of God Dorothy Day/St. Thérèse de Lisieux, Robert Ellsberg/Fr James Martin flavor. Saints and sacraments keep me in my Church, even when it’s…uncomfortable.

• a scientific researcher into how to best empower parents and promote effective parenting

• skeptical of personality tests, yet know that I am an ENFJ on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator and strongly suspect that I am Enneagram type 6. Or maybe type 9 with an 8 wing. Nevermind. I apologize if that sent you down a rabbit hole.

• unapologetically leftist, yet also pragmatic

• a devoted read-a-louder who has perfected* a variety of British and other accents while reading Harry Potter, Winnie the Pooh, Jurassic Park, you know, the classics

• a behavioralist

• very likely to give advice. Said advice will almost certainly begin with some variation of ‘it’s all going to be fine’ and then give some concrete things to do or consider in the meantime. I am eager to problem solve.

This blog exists for professional and personal reasons. No matter what direction my career takes over the next few years, writing will be an ever increasing part of it. More importantly, I’ve wanted to be a writer since late middle school (before that it was dolphin trainer/marine biologist) - I want to share my thoughts, my insights, my dare-I-say life-and-work-earned wisdom. Well, I’m 40 now and have decided that wanting to write is a full and valid reason for doing so.

The crux of the matter: I need to write more, and both committing to a public schedule and (hopefully**) receiving feedback will be motivating.

I’ll be posting MWF, at least twice per week (yes, that gives me wiggle room). About parenting, behavioral health, book reviews and recs, and the thoughts whirring around my brain.

Thanks for being here!

*self-proclaimed, non-validated

** desperate plea to the void…