Those who can… do. Those who can’t… counsel? On parenting advice…
Moms Gone Wild?
Is my own version of Moms Gone Wild in the future? Is it in yours? Once my chicks have flown the nest, I doubt I’ll be the poster parent for frenzied frolicking or salacious sex scenes. Then again, you never know, though I suspect that an afternoon of discount designer shoe shopping might be more […]
Small House Record (Seventeen!)
Seventeen. The magic number, apparently. One backyard, one clear night, 1100 square feet, and seventeen kids. No, this is not a commercial announcement for a crazy new reality TV show, though maybe it ought to be. No, this time I didn’t “just say no”. I said yes – to… count ’em… seventeen sleeping in my […]
Report Card
It’s approaching the end of the school year, and as my son prepares for a variety of exams and final papers, I think about the report card. Not his. Mine. As he continues his last push toward graduation, I find myself wondering what sort of marks I would receive as his parent. Of course, I […]
Why the Early Bird Doesn’t Always Get the Worm
“Out of bed now,” I say, though he isn’t on the bed. As usual. He’s on the couch, where he works on the computer, where he interacts with friends on Facebook, where he watches television then studies a few hours more, where eventually – he sleeps. I take in the beauty of him as he […]
Lost Keys
It was about ten days ago. The phone call. He had forgotten or misplaced his key. Again. I took a deep breath, dropped what I was doing, and went to the rescue. Again. I’ve been told repeatedly not to stress over the fact that my son loses his keys, and I’m constantly running to the […]
Two Parents, One Child, No Unemployment
I was struck by it. How easy it must be. Surely, they have worries – just not the same ones that I do. Or you do. Not the concerns of the single mothers I have known – the logistical nightmares dealing with an uncooperative or unavailable ex, the fatigue that never seems to dissipate no […]
Web Wars (And The Road To Hell)
We know the expression. The road to Hell is paved with good intentions. What else do we know? The web can be a hotbed of hate, an open forum for letting loose all the nastiness we wouldn’t dare to inflict in person. Comments on the web provide anonymity for some, a sense of distance and […]
Anger or Impotence
While visions of Reality TV and sexual athletics may be dancing through my head in the early a.m. – as I am extricating myself from dreams – within a few minutes of brewing my coffee and scanning a few headlines, other thoughts quickly take precedence. In keeping with yesterday’s theme – the “human” side of […]
Tipping the Scales
Are you impetuous when it comes to decision-making, or do you weigh all the factors and carefully consider consequences? As my son and I reflect on his college choices, I ask myself to what extent I might influence his decision-making. All things being equal – financially – would I leave the choice up to him? […]