Al and Tipper Gore Unless you’ve been living under a rock, by now you’ve heard the term gray divorce, likely in conjunction with the news that Al and Tipper Gore are splitting up after 40 years. Of course, the original announcement was followed by a claim that Al Gore’s marital defection was in fact the […]
Ten Spotty Years of Selective Recollection
Snippets of stream of consciousness. On marriage, parenting, divorce and what may come after. 94: First Waking all over the Planet X Two The alarm cracks my belly open like a giant jeweled watermelon fallen from the Great Wall, released blankly of angelic arms, sheepish grins. Ah, these cotton eyes open wide, spiteful and wondrous. […]
When Marriage Ends And You Don’t Know Why
Why a marriage ends: Sometimes not knowing is worse than knowing.
Can We Ever “Set the Record Straight?”
Those who provide the comforting advice that “one day, your kids will know what you gave up for them” are well-intentioned, and even kind. What parent doesn’t want to believe that appreciation will come for all our efforts, at some point in the future? But I question the premise, the concept of eventual “justice” when […]
I did what I was told
Whatever it was, I did what I was told, the quintessential good girl following the rules: I studied, I smiled, I won awards, I did not rebel, I lived with secrets. I followed the rules and did not cheat though I saw others do so and prosper; I followed the rules and did not lie […]
Parenting Is a Profession. Where’s My Paycheck?
Let’s stop devaluing the breadth of skills that parents bring to the table.
Next generation marriage
“I want to get married,” he says. The words are fired off into the air and seem to settle there, stark and defiant, as though some invisible structure of wires and pulleys holds the phrase in place so I cannot turn away. Then each letter tumbles down through the air, disintegrating. These are special effects. […]
Living Together – Separately
Are you part of a non-traditional couple? Committed or married, but not actually living in the same residence as your partner? Living together can be tough. Very tough. I’m reminded of an early episode of Sex and the City, in which Sarah Jessica Parker’s Carrie asks her love interest, Mr. Big, what his ideal living […]
Real Housewives of OC: Why are we still watching?
So what is it with these women? We know they aren’t “real” real housewives, and we know reality TV edits heavily to give us a provocative view. It’s voyeurism + gossip, with a dash of envy and a dollop of disbelief. Most of us are weary of real impacts to our much “smaller” lives in […]
Why Must We Marry?
Why must we marry? Scandalous little question, isn’t it? Flies in the face of convention! After all, we’re past the 60s and early 70s. We’ve tossed away our peace symbols and sitar music. Am I proposing free love? Romantic anarchy? Hardly. But in my cozy neighborhood of writing cohorts-in-crime, and we’re a mighty varied group, […]