Last week I found myself in a bit of a twilight zone moment. My 12-year-old son, Tom, was not acting like himself. He was acting, dare I say... like me."Tom, can you please help your sister with her seat belt?" We were running around as usual, and I have come to depend on the hand that Tom can give me with his younger brother and sister."Lizzy, do your seat belt, and, I don't … [Read more...]
Best Laid Plans
Ever since I was a child, I’ve had a strong maternal instinct and a strong need to use it. But my two younger sisters saw no need to have two mothers when they already had one, and I put my energy into learning all I could about parenting and proper child rearing. That just thrilled my friends who had children before me. When at last I became a mother at thirty-three, I was … [Read more...]
Mommys Little Builder
My youngest child Peter is a marvel at building with blocks, train tracks, vegetables, paper cups, and anything else he can get his hands on. This may be fairly common for most five-year-olds, but it is very foreign in our family of five."Mom, do you think it's possible he was switched at birth?" my oldest, Tom, asked.This was after Peter had set up his trains all over our … [Read more...]
It’s a Girl Thing
Last Saturday, my husband and I had a wonderful time taking our daughter for her ninth birthday on a pilgrimage to the American Girl store in New York.It was a magical day. My daughter has been a fan of American Girl dolls since the age of five, and she loved being treated like the princess she has always known herself to be.The dolls have been her faithful friends for years, … [Read more...]
Losing Barbie, Finding My Princess
Each time I open one of my kid’s lunch bags, I feel like a TV executive receiving the previous night’s ratings. The goldfish are gone—yea, we have a hit. The popcorn looked like a sure-fire winner. Yet it was not touched. Pull it. I am ruthless. I can’t waste time and money on a snack that doesn’t score.As a mom, I have to make quick decisions every day. Many are no more … [Read more...]
