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 […]
Candy’s dandy, but…
We all know the expression. Candy’s dandy but liquor’s quicker. Cute, if you’re a consenting adult, but what if you’re a teenager? How susceptible are our kids to sweet-talking, seemingly safe friendships that often begin with faceless technology? Do our kids really know who they’re dealing with? Do we? Or have we lost touch, as […]
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. […]
Sultry Saturday night… his or mine?
It’s a sultry, September Saturday, and evening is approaching. I’m… mmm… comment dire… in a certain mood… Wouldn’t it be lovely to slide into a steamy bath, linger awhile, then find a satiny underthing or two… How I’d like to take the time to regale in the feel of fine fabric against my skin, then, […]
Single Parenthood: How Do You REALLY Feel?
I’ve been a single mother for many years. Yet when asked, I define myself as a writer, a parent, a woman, a friend, an art advocate – and many other things. Make what you’d like of the sequence in that definition; but I claim my “single parenthood” fully. I have great pride in what I’ve […]
Radical parenting? About teens, by teens.
Who are the real experts on teens? Teens themselves. We were all teenagers once, but it’s not always easy remembering what it was like. Especially when your efforts are met with grunts, hands in your face for cash, monosyllabic requests for car keys, and mind-boggling mood swings. Truth is (despite my magic powers of invisibility), […]
Left foot red, right hand blue
Remember “new math?” Wasn’t it just old math – with a twist? I can’t recall what the twist was (natch), but I can think of plenty of other twists and twisters… tongue twisters, Twister the movie, and Twister the floor game that’s been around since, uh… when I was a kid! But my latest “twist” […]
Damn, damn, damn. Driving lessons.
Are we there yet? Are you there yet? OMG. Driving lessons for my younger son. Lately he’s so, um… distracted. He’s got a pile of school work, SAT prep classes, piano, art, tennis, after hours tutorials, and… yep, the girl. Give me pause. And strength. Or extra strength Tylenol. Been there, done that, sorta It’s […]
What Do You Do When a Kid Won’t Talk?
Ways around the silent treatment, when it comes to tweens and teens.
Knees make news, and US Open moments
It’s US Open time. Tennis! And last night on ESPN I watched Venus Williams play Vera Dushevina, remembering the Williams sisters some 10 years ago, and how exciting that was. This match had its tense moments, but it seemed more painful than exciting as Williams struggled with knee pain to drop the first set in […]