If adulthood is defined as being completely self-supporting and living on one’s own, then I achieved that milestone when I was 23. If it is defined by getting married, having a child, or paying a mortgage, I crossed those off my list at 27, 33, and 35, respectively. But looking back, I now know I became a card-carrying member of the grown-up set the morning I … [Read more...]
A Star is Born
My daughter is destined to be a star. I just know it. She walked onto the stage Friday night in her pink and green costume with her lion mask on top of her head, and her mere presence made the crowd go wild. OK. The people who went wild were me, my husband Joe, our two sons, and my parents. But we were as excited to see Lizzy take the back row of the chorus in her school’s … [Read more...]
My Special Dancer
I run through the list in my head. Dance costume? Check. Jazz shoes? Check. Do I need hairpins? No, this is only the dress rehearsal. I’ll get hairpins and hairspray before next week’s recital. I reach in my closet and get the costume. I don’t know why I have butterflies in my stomach. It’s my nine-year-old daughter who will be preforming, not me. Check the time. 11:45. … [Read more...]
Thank You, Mrs. Lee
When my first child, Tom, started to show signs that he had a learning difference at the age of 18 months, I jumped very quickly on it and did everything in my power to get him help. I did this not out of any special skill or talent but because I remembered very clearly what it felt like to be totally lost in a classroom. In 1971 I was in the first grade and miserable. I … [Read more...]
Making the Grade
My cell phone rang and jarred me from my computer. I checked the time, I still had about 25 minutes to work before my kids started coming home from school. I looked at the phone and saw it was my 17-year-old son. Strange, he should be in class. Hoping that there was no problem, I quickly picked it up. “Mom, I got my math regents grade back.” With those few words, I … [Read more...]
