I have been meaning to write a post about why I haven't been writing many posts lately, but go figure, for all the reasons I haven't written about yet, I haven't finished it. So, I'm going to take the excellent suggestion offered by Wendy of Renewing Ruined Cities, who said I should consider re-posting some [...]
Posts under ‘parenting’
At Any Given Moment
Image credit: Photo by Cayusa on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons The scene: Janie's elementary school. A first grade girl is throwing a huge, spectacular tantrum. She is alternately thrashing on the ground and trying to kick, hit and even bite her own mother as dozens of well-behaved, polite children walk past. Passersby are shocked [...]
Routines
Image credit: Photo by Bob.Fornal on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons If you had asked me, before Austen was born, if nearly every detail of my life was fixed in routine, I would have said no, and I would have thought that was quite true. After all, I had free will and all that. If [...]
Are Bloggers Like Me Crazy?
Image credit: Photo by Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons "I hate that you don't have a blog," said a woman about to undergo heart surgery, as she gazed sincerely up at her boyfriend, "I hate that I don't know what you're thinking." Mark and I burst into raucous laughter and had [...]
I Don’t Love You
Image credit: Photo by jessica.garro on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons Most parents hear it at one time or another. Some variation on the universal theme of parent awfulness: "I hate you. I wish you were dead. I don't like you. I'm not going to be your child anymore. I want a new Mommy/Daddy. You're the [...]
Sleepy Haikus for My Baby Girl
"Mama, I can't sleep. Can you breathe me to sleep, please?" "Ok, close your eyes..." "Breathe in sleep, out cares. Breathe in soft starlight, out sun. Float on breath to dreams." "Each breath is a gift, a wave lapping slumber's shore, gently lulling you." Dark lashes lie still, small hands unfold like petals, and sleep [...]
How Austen Convinced Me Torture Doesn’t Work
Image credit: Photo by ...-Wink-... on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons "How did you know?" my son Austen asked. "Know what, buddy?" I asked. We had been talking about how a particular connector fit into a particular slot. This, along with batteries and speakers, is a particular fascination of Austen's lately. When we were watching [...]
Parenting 101
Image credit: Photo by -Gerol on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons If you have kids, or if you're planning to have kids, or if you know people who have kids and know you'd do it better, you should listen up today, because I am going to do something I rarely do: tell you all how [...]
Orchid Children
Image credit: Photo by Te55 on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons One thing most addicts have in common is a history of childhood abuse or neglect. According to research by sex addiction expert Patrick Carnes, 81% of sex addicts were sexually abused as children and 97% were physically and/or emotionally abused or neglected. But quote [...]
The Fall of a Sparrow
Image credit: Photo by Ashley Dinges on Flickr Licensed under Creative Commons "I don't want to get up and I don't want to go to school!" my daughter Janie yelled when she heard me chime "Time to get up!" this morning. ("Well, maybe tonight you will go to sleep on time so you won't be [...]
