The Greatest of Fruits
My son, who would prefer to eat nothing but chicken nuggets and chocolate pudding, decides that his new favorite food is grapefruit, and since this one of the healthiest things he’s put in his mouth – ever – I went straight out and bought a five pound bag of ruby reds. So we’re sitting at the table mowing down this bag of grapefruit and my kids are extolling its virtues. They squeeze the fruit into their bowls and then slurp it up. My husband says, “It’s great fruit, isn’t it?” “Yes, it’s really fantastic,” I say. My son says, “I love it, but the name is weird. I mean, it’s nothing like a grape. And a grape is already a fruit.” “It’s one of life’s great mysteries,” I say. “Wait a...
Read MoreA Tippy Canoe – and Tyler, Too
On the way to my son’s basketball game the other day, we drive by a garage sale. Amid the books and smudgy glassware and cardboard boxes of pilly fleece, my husband somehow spots a small weathered canoe, propped on two folding chairs. It looks very rustic and cool sitting there, but certainly not seaworthy, and, because it’s so cool, we stop and get out to get a closer look. Admittedly, I know nothing about boats, and this one looks a bit like it’s made of paper mache. You can see where the strips of material meet the wood on the frame. “I think it’s just for decoration,” I say. “Where would we put such a thing in our tiny house?” “No,” he says, laughing at me. “It’s a canvas canoe, and it’s sweet! I’ve always wanted one of these...
Read MoreIt Does Get Easier: A Message to Moms with (Very) Young Children
One day when I had three kids under the age of five, I happened to be sitting on a park bench near a group of very put-together moms. These moms were chit-chatting as their school age children played nearby. I was nursing my six-month old while my two-year old tried to bounce on my knee. My four-year-old was braiding and twisting my hair to keep herself occupied. I looked up at this group of moms, and I said, “Tell me it gets easier.” They shook their heads. “No,” they agreed, “It doesn’t get any easier. It just gets…different.” I’ve heard this many times: The notion that parenting doesn’t ever get any easier – it just changes. And one thing is true: The questions my kids ask now are harder to answer. The...
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