In her memoir of young family life, Life Among the Savages, Shirley Jackson tells the story of the outsize influence of a child’s first grade teacher. We get a delicious profile of her daughter Jannie’s Mrs. Skinner: We had been exposed to Mrs. Skinner from about the third day of school, when Jannie came home […]
Family
Junk Food Firmament
This is a “guest post” from my Exemplary Girlfriend. The story is mildly adapted—and disguised—from an email she sent me a few years ago describing a trip to an amusement park with her two sons. She said I could share. I think you will see why we are friends. Some days I wonder whether my […]
Joe the Curmudgeon
Joe Queenan is a crowd-pleaser at my house. When The Sons are home, and we are lingering after a long breakfast served at 1:00 p.m., Queenan’s Wall Street Journal column is good for a laugh. He’s a curmudgeon, especially about things modern. “Uriah the Hittite” is a family meme: [A] couple of years ago, when […]
Classic Blunders
This post has the potential to insult multiple family members, but here goes. Our older son got my full dose of rage about young love. His first girlfriend lived a 30-minute drive from our house. He was 15, so I logged a lot of driving time with them. One time I was especially ticked with […]
You Can’t Go Home Again
“I know they say you can’t go home again.” That is true figuratively but not literally. I did “go home again” this summer to visit my parents. I slept in my childhood bedroom. I took the photo above, of the birdhouse light switch cover. That little birdie did not fly out of the nest. He […]
Mommiavelli
Overheard in my house this summer: Moi: Honey, why don’t you make chili tonight? DH: OK! Moi: But not too much, OK? Don’t make a full two gallon pot. We will just have to throw it out. DH: Moi: Please do not make too much. DH: Moi: There better be at least 2 inches of […]
Baby Bunny
I’m feeling more like Mama Bunny than like Mama Bear this week. p.s. Baby Bunny did NOT give permission for this post.
Playlist for Hubby’s Memorial
Pillow talk, 2018 version: Dear Husband (DH) (and yes, he is still in doghouse) and I were lying in bed, playing each other songs from our devices. I was sharing my enthusiasm for f-u songs. That made him a little nervous, but I assured him it was nothing personal. He reminded me of his wishes […]
Happiness
My thoughts turn to butterflies on the first day of summer. I love this quote. Happiness can be elusive. A corollary, from All Joy and No Fun: The Paradox of Modern Parenthood, by Jennifer Senior: It is unrealistic…to assume that if all goes well in a child’s life, he or she will be happy. Not […]
What is Your Least Favorite Fruit?
At an appointment when Ted was about five years old, I slipped the pediatrician a note asking him to speak about the importance of eating fruits and vegetables. I needed an ally. The doctor broached the topic conversationally. “Ted,” he said, “what is a fruit or vegetable that you really don’t like?” Silence. I was […]