What I Need My High Schooler to Know

Dear Son, High school's sure changed a lot in the last thirty years. Back then I used to think programming the Commodore 64 to scroll my name in a loop was a big deal...but I have a feeling the important bits haven't changed that much. Some stuff is definitely harder (the omnipresence of social media),... Continue Reading →

Ten School Commandments

I shall not bake more than once in a school year. Dozens of children per grade x two parents = me baking once a year. Children do not need baked goods in the shape of trees for Arbor Day and the like. I shall not doubt my kid's teacher's method of teaching math just because... Continue Reading →

August 13, 2018 5

Pardon Me, Can You Point Me to the Toilet?

Twenty something years ago I sat in an Italian restaurant in England with my then boyfriend's family and asked where the bathroom was. My future in-laws looked at me with the kind of blank confusion I can only assume my face resembles when my children talk to me about FortNite, leaving me--cross-legged and full-bladdered--in a... Continue Reading →

August 9, 2018 10

Girl Magic, Part I

My sons just spent a week dribbling footballs. They tackled, ran, shot on goal. While I watched my own kids, out of the corner of my eye, I was also watching the girls who were there. Some were thin and lanky, all giraffe legs up to their armpits. Many were strong and wide, thighs thick... Continue Reading →