Yesterday my husband and I sat in a crowded auditorium and watched our first child cross the stage and accept his high school diploma. This capped off a month of seeing him receive two special awards and a scholarship. To say I was proud would be an understatement. It was amazing to see my son recognized for all the hard work he put into his academic career. As I sat … [Read more...]
Our Nest is Not Empty, Just Rearranged
When my husband and I were getting ready to have our second child, we read everything we could about preparing our three-year-old for his baby sister’s arrival. We followed the experts’ advice and had him pick out a present for her. We had him select a picture of himself, so we could tape it to the baby’s hospital bassinet. He had his “I’m a Big Brother” t-shirt ready to … [Read more...]
My Wishes for My Son as He Gets Ready to Graduate High School
This week our firstborn child got measured for the cap and gown for his high school graduation. It was only yesterday when I would put him on my lap after bathing him. He would smell of lavender baby wash as he snuggled into me. I would rock him to sleep and just stare at how gorgeous he was. Those days felt as if they would last forever. Now he is 18 and thinking about the … [Read more...]
Rites of Passage
The breeze hit my face and gave cool relief to my sunburned skin. I looked out over the ocean and felt sheer gratitude. The plan I hatched in September with my girlfriends over lunch in the senior cafeteria had come to fruition, we had skipped our prom in favor of a weekend at the beach. I was very animated when I proposed the idea of forgoing the old fashioned idea of … [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...]
