Dear Bird and Deal, I usually write you a letter before the beginning of the school year to tell you what I hope the year ahead holds for you. My feelings are more complex and jumbled this year. Even as a writer, I struggle to put words to my emotions. I can’t quite name what … [Read more...] about On the Eve of the First Day of School – 2020 Edition
parenting
10 Things Staying Home Taught Me About Going to School
I do not homeschool for a reason. For many reasons. Let me be clear, the paradigm we are in now is not homeschooling. We are all just trying to function without going feral. We've had two weeks of ramen and screen time around here, so you can send me my blue ribbon for parenting … [Read more...] about 10 Things Staying Home Taught Me About Going to School
When There’s a Will, There’s a Way
Death isn't something we talk about comfortably. We particularly eschew the subject in our American culture. It's admittedly not pleasant, but it's so very vital. I spent ten years volunteering with pediatric bone marrow transplant patients so I unfortunately dealt with death in … [Read more...] about When There’s a Will, There’s a Way
Connections Matter
The world is indisputably more connected than ever before. Yet paradoxically, we are also more disconnected. Face to face interactions are replaced by screens with time delay jerkiness and buffering. We don't inherently look people in the eyes, and parents are constantly … [Read more...] about Connections Matter
Parenting Performance Review
There are no performance reviews or report cards in parenting. Generally speaking, in a job we get periodic reviews to let us know where we have room to improve and where we are excelling. In parenting, no such thing exists. I was told once in a review that I "need to learn to … [Read more...] about Parenting Performance Review
Aspen Institute’s Commission on Social , Emotional, Academic Development Has the Answers
Back in the 90s in my corporate days, my boss always talked about our “emotional intelligence.” He droned on and on about how our “EQ” was more important than our IQ. It sounded like corporate training mumbo jumbo back then, mostly because there was no direction to help us … [Read more...] about Aspen Institute’s Commission on Social , Emotional, Academic Development Has the Answers
How Will My Sons Remember Me?
I’m afraid my sons won’t remember me as a good mom. Or a happy mom. Their sharp memories, the kind that stick around through therapy into adulthood, are being cemented now. They’ll remember me as a stressed out yeller. My fuse is commensurate to my height...short. I am admittedly … [Read more...] about How Will My Sons Remember Me?