I used to have a fear of flying. Thoughts of my plane crashing would begin to seep into my mind the minute I booked my travel plans and remained there in the days leading up to and throughout my flight, constantly gnawing at me (and occasionally biting down hard during periods of turbulence) until my plane [...]
The year was 1978 and Davy Jones happened to be stopping by my elementary school for an appearance. Upon his arrival, he was, of course, immediately mobbed by his adoring pre-pubescent fans, so much so that he couldn’t get inside the building. The prettiest and most popular girls pushed their way to the front of [...]
This past Saturday night I decided it was time to dig in my heels. Dave and I had been talking about our sons’ unmet milestone for some time and since the boys had shown little no to interest in crossing the threshold, it seemed like as good a time as any to give them a [...]
I realize there are countless challenges associated with raising teenagers but, for me, one the hardest is not ignoring them. Because at some point after our children’s little arms are long enough to reach around and wipe their own tushies, most of our interactions with them are judgment calls. We spend our emotional energies deciding [...]
A comment in Jessie’s post last week prompted me to rise to her defense – alongside many others – after a reader taunted her life as a “main line mom” being “so difficult.” The reader also suggested that “working moms” were somehow more worthy of writing about their struggles. The comment bristled me in a [...]
I was standing in my kitchen on Saturday morning, clad in my pajamas when the dog needed to go out. Typically when faced with this situation, I summon Dave who is almost always up and dressed before yours truly. But Dave was not only up and dressed this morning. He was already out with Chase [...]
Many of you know that I work in the field of communications. Some people call it PR – but I try to refrain from that terminology as much as possible as those two letters conjure up images of shallow, mindless work that contributes nothing to society. I may contribute nothing to society, but my work [...]
Back in September when I was drafting my mental map of the school year, I asked Chase if he was planning to audition for the 6th grade Select Chorus. He had signed up for the regular chorus but participation in the Select Chorus was by invitation only. Not surprisingly, Noah had made Select Chorus when [...]
I spend most of my life showing off. Most of adults do. I was first accused of such behavior years ago when complaining to a friend that I was feeling bored with my work. I lamented that everything I did felt so repetitive and uninspiring. He responded by saying, “Yeah, it’s like every day you’re [...]
Its 6:45 a.m. on a weekday and the boys are sleepily gathering themselves before heading out the door to school. Without a word, they pack up their lunches… put on their jackets… zip up their backpacks… and … SHOTGUN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! The morning silence is broken and chaos ensues as the boys bolt for the door. Dave [...]
