I have struggled mightily to locate an adequate metaphor for the family, picking up and tossing away paltry images. A puzzle is too one dimensional. Yes, like a puzzle, our small family of four is a whole that fits together, each piece required in forming the complete picture. But we depend on and play off…
Category Archives: motherhood
Fairy Soup: A tale of love, imagination, and sugar sprinkles
We met our first fairy in the den. J was 30 months. His reddish-brown curls framed his nut-brown eyes, which were wide with wonder. He sat snuggled in my crossed legs, his hair tickling my nose. His pudgy hands were up by his head, ready to cover his ears in the event I told “the…
We Don’t Negotiate With Terrorists
Do straight jackets come in a 4T? I’m just wondering. I wouldn’t actually buy one for my over-sized, sociopathic, two year-old (well, almost 2 ½ year-old). Or would I? You probably think I’m exaggerating when I describe my beloved first born as a sociopath in need of a straight jacket. I AM prone to hyperbole…
The Bottomless Love of the Two-Timing Hussy
Getting to know a new baby is like falling in love. With your first baby, like your first love, you fall fast and hard, oblivious to any faults or limitations your child may have. Your heart explodes and leaves you exhausted, not just from the sleeplessness, but from the sheer force of emotion coursing through…
Harvard for your Toddler?
It starts innocently enough. I am letting my then 18 month-old eat the sand at a public playground when I overhear two thin, well dressed, women about my age discussing pre-school. Their children, both girls who look to be about 2, are dressed in matchy-matchy outfits and doused in a protective layer of anti-bacterial solution….
An open letter to my eldest son, on this the event of his 2nd birthday
“Tell me I’m clever, Tell me I’m kind, Tell me I’m talented, Tell me I’m cute, Tell me I’m sensitive, Graceful and wise, Tell me I’m perfect– But tell me the truth.” –Shel Siverstein An open letter to my eldest son, on this the event of his 2nd birthday: I was sleeping peacefully an hour ago,…
Poisoned Peeps: Raising Boys in a Culture of Sugary Sweet Misogyny
I was raised in a culturally Southern area of Kentucky. Because of its location and history, parts of my home state are not “Gone With The Wind.” Rather, they are culturally mid-western, particularly the areas bordering Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois. But my small Appalachian town has everything required of a Southern locale: curmudgeonly writers, beauty…
