PregnancyFamilyEducation Blogs
 Inane prattle about the inconsequential minutiae of my life as a dad (or so I've been told). |  Chronicles the life of a mom, teacher, and writer trying to stay sane amid the chaos of daily life. |
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The love you have for your children is something entirely different from any other type of love. It's like being given a key to a secret room and once you unlock it, everything you do is made so much better by it.
Posted in: Sombody Pinch Me | Social and Emotional Issues | Parenting Advice | Parenting | Moms | Family | Dads |
Recent Posts
May 14th, 2008
Lifelong challenges...counterpoint, Skadaddle
Lifelong challenges...counterpoint, Skadaddle
I like reading Aliki’s posts. We have much different experiences, which leads us to having much different perspectives on the “life and times” of parenting. Different perspectives are good things. While I agree with everything she has to say about the amazing benefits of parenting, I still don’t understand why we have to get so defensive about the study in question. (Which, by the way, appears to be rehashing old data – so, it’s not all that valuable, anyway.) [more]
May 14th, 2008
Lifelong challenges, Professor Mom
Lifelong challenges, Professor Mom
A favorite blogger friend of mine wrote the other day about a recent study out there claiming that parenthood does not, in fact, bring joy and fulfillment, that children are a source of misery and stress, and that raising them is a "lifelong challenge to your mental health." Where the data for this study came from is anyone's guess, actually, but I thought a lot about it yester [more]
May 13th, 2008
The dreaded dentist, Skadaddle
The dreaded dentist, Skadaddle
One of my closest friends is a dentist. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy going to the dentist. I lived in a house full of dental students and enjoyed many nights of craziness. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy going to the dentist. I genuinely like my dentist. Doesn’t mean I have to enjoy going to the dentist. And, yet today…I went to the dentist. Doesn’t mean I enjoyed it. [more]
May 13th, 2008
Just call me Mama (fill in the blank), Professor Mom
Just call me Mama (fill in the blank), Professor Mom
Monday was my Day Off. All this week I have work-related workshops to attend--all designed for my professional and personal betterment. But on Monday I snatched 25 minutes of extra-warm snuggle time in bed with T., and I got to pack L.'s school lunch while still in my pajamas; I got to pour myself a second cup of coffee, and I got to spend a good hour and a half playing Mama Bird and Baby Bird with T. until it was almost 10:00 and definitely time for a change. [more]
May 12th, 2008
Doing it their way, Professor Mom
Doing it their way, Professor Mom
T. has her own way of doing everything. You can show her the "right" way--or the way YOU think things ought to be done--but then she'll turn around and give the task her own personal trademark spin. If I give her a plastic bag, for instance, and ask her to help me empty the bathroom wastebaskets, she'll dump the trash onto the floor first, then spend her time picking it all up off the floor and placing it into the bag. [more]
May 11th, 2008
Happy Mother's Day, Skadaddle
Happy Mother's Day, Skadaddle
Every year around this time, some company or organization sends out a press release (in print, radio, Web and TV) describing the “market value” of stay-at-home Moms. The release concludes that “after significant research” (which is really simply adding the average national salaries of bus driver, nurse, office manager, chef, teacher and so on) that the Chief Mom Officer position is worth somewhere around $130–150K. It’s also one of the biggest non-stories produced each year, and I have no choice but to roll my eyes and yawn whenever I see it. [more]
May 10th, 2008
Throwing rocks and skipping stones, Skadaddle
Throwing rocks and skipping stones, Skadaddle
From time to time, I’ve been known to complain about the endless “Groundhog Day” cycle that can make up the bulk of our early parenting lives. Routine is especially important for the young'uns, but it gets to be so…routine. But, every now and again, the routine gets a sudden spark of inspiration that can bring new daily anticipation. All of a sudden – the routine becomes so…pleasurable. [more]
May 9th, 2008
Some thoughts on motherhood, Professor Mom
Some thoughts on motherhood, Professor Mom
For my first Mother's Day, when L. was just 10 months old, my mom sent me a white T-shirt with "Mom" printed on the front. This was an unlikely gift, actually, for both the giver and the recipient (I'm not a T-shirt person), but she'd gotten the T-shirt for free and I was, after all, a "Mom" finally. I still have the shirt. I keep it folded in my drawer and it's moved with me three times now. [more]
May 8th, 2008
Golden silence, Skadaddle
Golden silence, Skadaddle
I just finished a meeting and I have another in a couple of hours. Both are closer to my house than my office. As a result, I now find myself sitting in my living room, sprawled on the couch, laptop ensconced where it belongs (on said lap), dog sitting at my feet and…that’s it. Nobody is home. Just the dog and me.
From time to time there are few things as sweet as being home alone. I’m not talking about the kid(s) being asleep and the spouse out. There are still potential responsibilities in that scenario. I’m talking about being home…alone. The silence is golden. [more]
May 8th, 2008
Hindsight (and red shirts), Professor Mom
Hindsight (and red shirts), Professor Mom
About once a month or so I meet for coffee with a group of women from a parenting group. My husband and I are both closely involved with this group, but the coffee mornings seem to belong to the moms. These mornings are not regularly scheduled events, but about once a month someone will send an email out to the group suggesting a meeting at one of the many coffee shops in this area. [more]
