Parenting

The Clothes Pin. How much better it is to carry wood to the fire than to moan about your life. How much better to throw garbage on the compost, or to pin the clean sheets on the line with a gray-brown wooden clothes pin! ~By Jane Kenyon. A 4th grade presentation. A poetry reading and ... Continue Reading »

It hurt like hell, but I did it. I was a mess, thought I might die, but I did it. I bled, cried, and stunk like cabbage but I did it. I did it in cafes, libraries, church pews, bed, and at school Christmas concerts. I did it discreetly but not shamefully. And I did ... Continue Reading »

A pregnant woman boards a bus. After sitting down, she notices a man smiling at her. She feels self-conscious and changes her seat, but he starts to giggle. She moves a third time, and he laughs out loud. On her fourth move, he bursts into hysterical laughter. They both get off the bus at the ... Continue Reading »

A pregnant woman boards a bus. After sitting down, she notices a man smiling at her. She feels self-conscious and changes her seat, but he starts to giggle. She moves a third time, and he laughs out loud. On her fourth move, he bursts into hysterical laughter. They both get off the bus at the ... Continue Reading »

He was curled up in my lap, back when he used to fit. An image that is difficult to bring forward as he now stands over 6foot. But yes, there was a time he fit snugly, like a perfect puzzle piece. The afternoon was a particularly lazy one. No place to be, no plans made. ... Continue Reading »

It started out all so simply. Mother and daughter eating a sandwich. It was like any other day. Happily, we enjoyed our lunch at the kitchen table gazing at the birdfeeders in the garden. We spoke easily of friendships, afternoon plans, and favourite ice cream flavours. And then it changed, quietly, yet noticed. There on ... Continue Reading »

  I’m not a fan of country music. Nor am I fan of “Jesus taking my wheel”, I usually like to take my own wheel thank you very much. But on this particular day, Jesus, Mohommad, sheez, even the Queen of England could have reached right over and grabbed the wheel from my son that ... Continue Reading »

  I don’t claim to be a movie critic, but after seeing “The Descendants” recently, a few thoughts came to mind. It is a movie with all the qualities you look for in a film. A hot lead being #1 of course (call me shallow, I’ve been called worse), humour (I love a laugh even ... Continue Reading »

    I offer these simple tips knowing I do not have all the answers, not even close. But somehow, for some reason as luck would have it, we have one amazing teenager ready to take flight. We have two to go,  ask me again in a few more years and perhaps I wont have ... Continue Reading »

He told me while I was in the kitchen. Stirring something, soup maybe, onions or boiling potatoes, doesn’t matter really, whatever it was, my stirring soon became furious. “They told me I wasn’t really a boy today.” His 12yr old voice tried to remain detached. “Really” I replied, trying to match his detachment, while searching ... Continue Reading »

Have you ever bumped into it? You know, the wall?  The one between the mothers who work and the mothers who, well, work…. 
what can’t see tell the difference? Well, let me just point it out to you. One has a whole lot of guilt, and well, the other one has a whole lot of ... Continue Reading »

It will be remembered as the great salad cook-off. A 12 year old boy got up early that day, to chop. To chop vegetables. He and two other friends had decided to have a salad competition at school for lunch. He dug around the vegetable drawer and found mushrooms, mung beans, carrots, capsicum, spinach and ... Continue Reading »

They gather things. Together, separately. Bits. Pieces. All very important. Often a precious rock (broken asphalt), or a note (on scrap paper). Sometimes a rainbow (piece of string), or a piece of gold (yellow button). Now and then, a valuable coin (found in the dust behind the washer) But always love. Right there on my ... Continue Reading »

20th century child psychologist Bruno Bettelheim said, The question for a child is not “Do I want to be good?” but “Who do I want to be like?” In other words, children learn by example- our example. What an awesome responsibility. Safety, self respect, inner tuition (Italian for intuition), healthy boundaries, appropriate trust, and so ... Continue Reading »

Without hesitation she replied quite simply “A picture frame”. Phew, I can do picture frame, “This will be a piece of cake” I say, “Oooh I want to be a piece of cake” her brother adds. Halloween is not one of my favourite holidays, for various reasons. It’s not just because it isn’t a part ... Continue Reading »