Tag: parenthood
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What Are We Even Doing Here?
I gave my kids a piece of candy before the Easter service, I’ll admit. It’s just that they asked, and they had cute little baskets from Dad’s, and they were cute, and it was my favorite holiday. It was a mistake, because on the ride from their dad’s house, between the sugar and the excitement of…
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Accidentally Breaking Bad
Just found my daughter and her sweet little friend looking guilty in my daughter’s room. What they were trying to hide was that they were stirring together various household substances in cups, experiment-style. “What’s in it?” I ask. “Um, just some stuff,” Selah says. “What stuff?” “Just some salt and stuff.” I force her to…
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You Can’t Worm Your Way Out of This One
Last night I called Selah inside from the kids’ dirt play to get her ready for her night of pretending to be Eleanor Roosevelt at a wax museum. Which is itself a little odd I guess. Anyway, I started brushing her hair so I could put it up under her hat. It’s always very tangly so…
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He Won’t Eat Goldfish Crackers?
For my first two children, I had a rule that starting at age 3, they needed to try a bite of each item on their plates. However, it is clear that Noah feels that food is the one thing he can control and that most of it is gross. Upon the advice of his pediatrician, I have given…
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Your Kids Need You at the Dinner Table
I am partnering with Circle with Disney to write for their Family is Everything blog. Here’s a little preview of my first post on their blog: Your Kids Need You at the Dinner Table. The bad news is that I’m going to tell you that you can’t watch cat videos at dinnertime (usually). The good…
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Leon Row the Boat Ashore
It took me a while to write this down, but it’s feeling seasonal again, now that the forecast is for seven days of 986-degree heat. Last summer, Leon and I were facing the prospect of a rare weekend off. While the kids visited their grandparents, Leon and I got two full days to do whatever we wanted.…
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Darling Children
Darling Children, In an attempt to make things more simple and clear, I have already laid out our daily routine for you. But I have also noticed that I must tell you certain things more than one time. By “certain,” I mean “all.” And by “more than one time,” I mean that I have said these things…
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Sheep, Hoarders, and Helicopters: The Piñata Test
You can learn all you need to know about humans when you attend a child’s party featuring a piñata. The good news is that we can stop funding sociological and anthropological research and just start sending scientists to children’s birthday parties, which are known to be–wait, those are as expensive as a university grant. Possibly more expensive. Never…
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Little Wandering Daughter
As I drove out tonight, I looked up and saw the full moon in the sky. I took a moment to acknowledge my place underneath it. As I started driving again, I drove down the street past other cars, and we were like ants scurrying along on our busy way, oblivious beneath the moon. And…
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Like Putty in My…Hair
I drifted awake this morning, trying to decide if I should get up and hustle us to church or not. One of my kids loves going to church and asks if we can go more often whenever we’ve skipped. Another of my kids hates church, and I have to overcome a lot of unhappiness to…