BAM! ZAP! THWAK! Holy holidays, Batman! I flipped on the boob tube Halloween afternoon and what flashed across the screen? Christmas commercials – already!?! I’m all for boosting GNP, but do I have to fight the holiday blues this soon? For many of us, this premature, picture-perfect presentation of hyped-up-happy times is either irritating as […]
Parenting Tips: When Kids Are Ready for Home Alone
I recently described a transatlantic booty call from an old friend – with the possibility of a free trip to Paris (compliments of his generosity). French sex versus responsible parenting? For me, it’s a no-brainer; I received commiseration from the single moms (how romantic, how nice to dream, etc.), and from the single dads – […]
Amante à Paris ou « Maman t’as pas ri ! » (La vie est une saloperie !)
Amante à Paris ou « Maman t’as pas ri ! » (La vie est une saloperie !) version anglaise / English version / © D A Wolf Hier soir, j’ai reçu un coup de fil sur mon portable – le numéro, je ne l’ai pas reconnu. Mais le pays, si – 33. Et moi, aux […]
French Sex vs Proper Parenting
Yesterday, late afternoon, my cell flashed a number I didn’t recognize, but with a country code that I did. 33. France. That fine, flourishing, familiar place where I have friends – and lovers. The country that is home to my heart, where the streets energize me, the wine transports me, the art – even more […]
Family photos reveal changing dynamics
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, […]
Bread Crumbs, Stale Crusts, Potions: I Don’t Talk About My Ex
They aren’t lies, exactly – the things I say to my children about their father. I don’t talk about my ex much – not with them, and certainly not here except obliquely. Yet you may sense him in the background. An occasional presence, a haze, a storm brewing. You
Chick Flicks
Saturday night with old friends…
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 […]
Life is what happens while you’re busy making other plans…
Never assume. It’s one of the rules I live by. Never assume. It has served me well. But now and then, I forget that dictum that’s opened doors, helped make wise decisions, and kept me a little more prepared for an unknown future. After all, the future is always unknown. John Lennon said it: “Life […]