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Six thousand goodnights
I have said goodnight to my children approximately six thousand times. I lay them down in their cribs after kissing the tops of their soft heads, inhaling deeply to catch that delicious sweet baby...
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What grown-ups do
I felt like a grown-up when I started my first real job. When I got married. When I had a baby. There were nights when Matt was out of town, and I tucked my baby and preschooler into their beds before...
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A name tag and a uniform
Friends told me my life would change when my teenager got her driver’s license. Each morning, I stand by the window and watch her disappear down the street, instead of climbing in the car in my robe...
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When you take your teenagers to an amusement park
When I was fourteen years old, I was five feet, three quarters of an inch. After a whopping inch and a quarter of growth, I reached my full adult height, which already appears to be on the downslide....
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Just one of the boys
Almost two years ago, I wrote a piece for Kristi’s new series, Our Land. Today, in honor of National Autism Awareness Month, I’m sharing a revised version of that story here. My son James met Ryan for...
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It’s all about perspective
Parenting is all about perspective. The mother of a newborn can’t imagine she’ll be able to handle anything but caring for her infant, and the mother of a toddler can’t imagine she can handle another...
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A cliche by any other name is bad advice
My darling daughter, All your life I’ve been giving you advice. All your life you’ve been ignoring me. When I suggested that you may not want to put the piece of chewed gum you picked up in the...
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I’m almost eight
“How old are you?” the woman ringing up my mother’s groceries asked. This was years before scanners. “I’m almost eight,” I answered, figuring that seven years and seven months was closer to eight than...
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Together again (at Club Mid)
The last time my kids went to school together, a postage stamp was 42 cents, the iPhone 3GS had just been released, and the Black-Eyed Peas dominated the music charts. That was 2009, and my son and...
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When they become teenagers
My babies haven’t been babies for a very long time. I miss the feel of their chubby little hands, completely enveloped in my own. I miss being able to pick them up and comfort them, and I miss the...
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Talk to your kids and #StopMedAbuse
In the first weeks of my son’s life, we had a frightening experience with incorrect medication dosage. That baby boy is now a healthy fourteen-year-old who remembers nothing about that time, but I will...
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A tale of two books
When I was pregnant, I faithfully read The Girlfriend’s Guide to Pregnancy and What to Expect When You’re Expecting. They were my primary source of information, back in ancient times when the internet...
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Just Mommy
Gwen is settled into bed, her pillows arranged so that she is completely ensconced in their quiet embrace. I lay next to her, tossing a pillow to the floor as I try to snuggle closer. The hum of her...
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A Jew in December
This post was originally published in December 2013. I can’t remember what I read two days ago, so I’m banking on the fact that you won’t remember what you read two years ago. And if you didn’t read...
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The moments in between
Most people make resolutions on New Year’s Day; I make them on the first day of summer. I resolve to go to cool places with my kids, visit with friends, eat more produce, and go for walks in the buggy...
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Not all time sucks are created equal
I have been trying to write a post all week. I wanted to link up with Finish the Sentence Friday, and I have a few half-finished posts about “When I was nineteen…” They all suck. So I came up with some...
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Begin, again
In the beginning, I don’t remember. I don’t remember the beginning of my life, or when I actually starting have my own memories. I have no recollection of meeting my baby sister, although I know that I...
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Sometimes you just know
Just like that, she’s made the decision. We visit for the first time in the fall of 2014, all four of us. We listen as the admissions counselor gives her spiel, very similar to the one I gave to...
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Why we keep taking our teens to Disney
We are a family of late sleepers; it is not unusual for the four of us to be pajama-clad and bedheaded at 11:00 a.m. on a weekend morning. Last week was spring break, which meant ten mornings of...
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Insert or swipe
“Insert or swipe?” I ask the cashier. “Insert,” he answers, and I obediently shove my American Express into the slot. I could have swiped, signed, and returned to my car in the time it takes for the...
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