In a little over six months, I’ll hit the half century mark. When I made my entrance into the world in 1965, the milk man brought the white liquid in glass containers, calls were made on a rotary phone, and if you should be unlucky enough to fall asleep early on the night that Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer, or A Charlie Brown Christmas was on, you were out of luck until the … [Read more...]
The Gift of Shared Misery
When I look back at my childhood, it occurs to me that my best memories come from the shared misery my two sisters and I endured at the hands of my parents. Sharing the back seat of the family Volvo for numerous trips to my uncle’s dairy farm, often with bags of cow manure for my father’s organic garden in the trunk. The three of us had to figure out different ways to … [Read more...]
Dear Mom Who Sent Your Kid to School With No Socks Today
Dear Mom who sent your kid to school with no socks today: Thank you. My morning started with me mentally counting ahead two hours to figure out what time everyone’s bus had been rescheduled because the previous day’s snowstorm had delayed the opening of school. As I was packing snacks and making breakfast, my nine-year-old started to scream in an unGodly pitch because … [Read more...]
Be Your Own Genie
For the last few weeks my nine-year-old, Peter, has been wanting to use a remote control to either make the days go backward so he can relive Christmas or New Year’s, or go forward to his birthday or to when he’ll be 16 like his older brother. Then there are the days when he wants to pause time. Such as Valentine’s Day when we were eating chocolate cake and giving each other … [Read more...]
Educating Lizzy
The other day I had my annual parent/teacher conference for my 13-year-old daughter. Each and every time I visit Lizzy’s school, I’m assaulted with a range of emotions, from gratitude and respect for the school’s teachers and staff to dread and sadness as I get buzzed through the heavy doors and enter the lobby. I smile at the attendants at the front desk as I sign the guest … [Read more...]
