Mom's Talk Q&A: Jump Right in With Your Thoughts

Moms Talk is a weekly feature on Sherman Oaks Patch, in which local parents are invited to share opinions and advice on parenting issues.

Each week our Moms Council members will discuss a different issue. Join the conversation by weighing in on a topic or asking questions.  

 This week's Mom Council members include:

Linda Arbiter:  A licensed family therapist in Sherman Oaks, Linda is also the mother of three children. Linda's specialities include parenting issues, adolescent development, and anxiety issues involving children.

Michele Dahl: Michele is a freelance writer and mom to 3-year-old firecracker, Shelby, and 1-year-old sweetheart, Cash.  In between working  three jobs—not including her unpaid gig as a mommy—she is a contributing writer and product reviewer for www.hollywoodmomblog.com.  

Randi Green: Randi is raising three children, ages 18, 15 and 10. She is a personal trainer, working with children as well as adults. Randi says: "I’ve dealt with the terrible twos, the trying tweens and the terrific/horrific teen years, and have firm opinions on it all!"

Rose Sevilla: Rose is a full-time personal assistant to her toddler, Alastair, and is pregnant with twin boys.  She holds a master's degree in linguistics, and consults as a language/learning specialist.  Prior to entering motherhood, Rose was a classroom teacher for nearly a decade.

This week the conversation focuses on an issue that pregnancy itself can present. Rose Sevilla poses the question: Feel free to tell us what you think in our comments section on the site.

The womb is indeed a place of wonder, and what can happen inside of it is nothing short of a miracle.  For those of us who have ever experienced pregnancy, we are all-too-familiar with the hands of others gravitating towards our protruding place of progeny, sometimes without even a warning.  But what happens when someone you’ve never met approaches and rubs your belly as if it were a magic lamp?  Do you ask them to make a wish?  While usually the act is well intentioned, one would never approach a total stranger, invade their personal space, and proceed to caress any other body part, right?    A few things to keep in mind:

• Not all pregnant women enjoy being touched on their bumps.
• Some women are enduring a difficult pregnancy, and would prefer not to discuss what they are having or when with someone they have never met, much less be felt-up by them.
• Be careful never to assume someone is pregnant.  Some women carry weight differently, and are not pregnant at all. 
• Poking a woman in the belly button as if she were the Pillsbury Dough Boy is never appropriate, as the area can be quite sensitive and the act rather demeaning.

Rose Sevilla will be online at 1 p.m. to discuss the topic with our readers.