He was walking out the door with a red silk tie bound around his forehead, as his curls poked out from under a baseball cap and a brightly colored beanie – complete with propeller. As for the rest of him – let’s just say – I burst out laughing and reached for my nearby camera. […]
Parenting from a peripheral planet
The thing is – we remember when they were completely dependent on us, and we were the center of their universe. That makes the shift to the periphery a struggle. For us, not them. A teenager’s world may be built on a foundation lovingly laid, brick by brick, by one parent, two parents, grandparents, aunts, […]
“You’re trouble,” he said.
“You’re trouble,” he said. I didn’t know the gentleman, but he’s right. Yes, I am. It was a brief exchange, yesterday – just a moment with no names – but filled with the fleeting flutter of engagement, and a little smile, the kind that lasts through long days, lightening them so they become more manageable. […]
SAT scores, SATurday SAD face, SAT tips
SATs. Remember those? Compliments of the College Board, SATs bring us one competitive step closer to the you-you-you-gotta-be-kidding-me indenture inducing university of your choice. Looked at tuition for almost any college lately? Can you spell I-N-S-A-N-I-T-Y ??? Yes, it’s SATurday. Four hours of teen torture for millions of students across the country, including my 16-year […]
Wanted: Men in togas. Pay negotiable.
“There’s been a shocking shortage of togas in my life,” she said on the phone. I considered her remark for a moment, running through the past years of coffee dates, dinner dates, dessert dates, assorted cocktails. Cocktail napkins for that matter. Quite right. Not a toga among them. Hell, not even a Third Date toga. […]
Mr. Potato Head. Richard Gere. Faux Fur.
Mr. Potato Head was flashing through my dreams the other night. No… not those kind of dreams, and not that kind of flashing either. Even if this little hunka-hunka-studly-spud has a certain staying power, expressive eyebrows, and movable parts, he’s just not my type. I like a man with, um, backbone. Oh. And a pulse. […]
Chivalry, Part Deux (Teen Style)
Teenage boy + long school day + driving lesson = London Broil, potatoes, au jus with mushrooms, and one giant glass of milk. My 16-year old son waits politely until I sit down. I glance at my watch as he inhales. I sip my wine and cut into my meat. Four minutes. Not a record, […]
Time online: symptom, solution, or nothing new?
I’ve been thinking about recent discussion and comments concerning our kids’ online time. They text, chat, spend hours on Facebook. Frankly – who knows what they’re doing some of the time. And I’ve been considering the remarks that many of us have made about our own (possibly excessive) use of our communication tools and social […]
No power. No wi-fi. NO FUN!
Terrible storms throughout the night. The dog, circling and scratching. Then, the sound of an explosion, 4 or 5 a.m. Either a tree went through the roof (it happens in our neighborhood), or – more likely – the transformer two houses away blew. My alarm is on AAs; it went off at the usual time. […]
Serena Williams a-t-elle « menacé » la juge de ligne?
« Menace. » Un terme puissant, mais est-ce correct ? English version / version anglaise © D A Wolf Dire que Serena Williams a menacé la juge en demi-finale de l’US Open hier soir – voilà qui suggère une scène explosive ! Et voici pourquoi les médias exercent leurs pouvoirs sensationnels lorsqu’il concerne l’art […]