A preschool graduation is almost as arbitrary as a 1-year-old’s birthday party. They are both milestones that should be acknowledged, but would it really make a difference if we didn’t have some over-the-top ceremony? The children themselves have no concept of the significance of what’s going on, and both events are really more for us […] Read more…
I’m not sure I will ever feel as though I say “thank you” enough times or with enough meaning to the people in my life who have helped me. There is no amount of thanking my parents that will ever make up for the hell I put them through when I was a teen. My […] Read more…
Throughout the pregnancy with my second and final child, I saw adorable picture after adorable picture of parents-to-be announcing the big news. Witty puns, funny costumes, creative cooking – it was all there. I never did a fun announcement. I was so sick during the first four months that by the time I felt well […] Read more…
Dear Mommy, You don’t have to be sorry. The other day, I heard you crying in the bathroom. That was the day that you just couldn’t take it anymore. My brother spilled a gallon of organic milk, which apparently “costs more than college,” and I had an accident on the floor. We both had been […] Read more…
I once read that there is only so much knowledge that a brain can retain. Scientists say that, essentially, you forget certain things you learned to make space for new information. What’s worse, we don’t really have a say in what our memories hold onto. It makes me wonder: what will I remember about these […] Read more…
“Mom, I can’t see the light.” It is 8 p.m. and my 4-year-old and I are in his bed. We have read three books and turned out the light, allowing the small flickers of illumination from the nightlight to take over. He is voicing his concern that he can’t see the physical light plugged into […] Read more…
If it were just the two of us, I would surprise you with a trip to the Greek islands. I have always wanted to take you there. We could spend all day up to our necks in transparent, blue-green water, eat the most delicious tomatoes in the world and stay out late walking the streets […] Read more…
“Mommy, do you want me to be like this forever?” Hearing my own words come out of my almost-4-year-old’s mouth is entirely too precious. He is willing himself to stay awake long enough for my answer. His arms hold a plastic dinosaur against his Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles pajamas, and his green-brown eyes are losing […] Read more…
Why do we sometimes feel the need to apologize for our tears? After all, aren’t tears just as natural as smiles? My daughter’s tiny fingers wrap around one of mine and she moves with the unsure but simultaneously determined march of a new walker into the child watch at our gym. She lets go of […] Read more…
I like to whine a lot about being sleep deprived. (Have you noticed?) If the worst I do is complain, I’d say we’re all pretty lucky. On a daily basis, I adventure through the entire spectrum of emotions, from wanting to bawl hysterically to wanting to punch strangers to finally entering a zombie-like mode in […] Read more…