There’s nothing quite like it. Having family around, especially when you’ve been apart for some time. It doesn’t matter what your family looks like – nuclear, extended, blended – large or small. Those you love – happy and well – that’s as good as it gets. Dinner for three “I know it was hard,” I […]
Hand wash
Teens, travel, laundry. Metaphors abound.
Are You Your Mother?
I should have watched reruns all night. Or old films on cable. But I didn’t. Instead, I tossed and turned, dozed a little, then finally gave up as 4 a.m. approached. I’m a challenged sleeper at best, but last night was rough, even for me. A typical day Yesterday was a fairly typical day. In […]
I love you, have fun, be safe. CALL me.
I find myself stranded again. The car zipped down the street at noon yesterday, with my elder son behind the wheel. There was a brief exchange over a hastily planned camping trip in the mountains with friends. It’s a considerable drive, I’m sans vehicle for the weekend, but I said yes. My kid ran errands […]
Growth
“It’s just a tree,” I tell myself. But each day as I stare at it, poke at the dirt, stubbornly water the skeletal form, I know it’s more than a tree. It’s a connective thread – history holding the past to the present, and the present to the possibility of a future. It is hope. […]
The Answer Man
The search for answers.
The Kids Are Alright (Mine, That Is)
He’s taken the car. Already. He’s been traveling in France, Belgium and Holland for two months, home for eight hours, and he’s leaving already. Yup. That’s about right. But he asked politely, as usual. And first he hauled out bags of trash, asked what else he could do to help, and gave me a hug. […]
Headaches: Teen Travel, Kid Conundrums
Parenting panacea? If there’s an effective panacea for parenting, I’ve yet to discover it – even after 18 years on the job. The mother job that is. And I’ve been hitting the Excedrin Migraine pretty hard these past hours. Good thing there’s plenty in the medicine cabinet, along with half a bottle of Pepto Bismol. […]
Why I burned the popcorn
It’s a ghastly smell. Far worse than bread charred in the toaster. Burnt popcorn. And I wanted that popcorn for breakfast! Of course, it was nearly six in the evening when I tossed the package carelessly into the microwave. Yes, I’m running a little late today. Ten hours late to be exact. It’s been a […]
The Public Face
“Who are you, really?” he wrote, in an email. That’s not a question I answer easily. I know my public face, and my private selves. I keep them fairly separate for a number of reasons. And I like it that way. Who are you may seem like a simple question, but it isn’t something I […]