My little guy, age 3, hadn’t played outside in what felt like weeks. Sure, the grass was soggy, and small piles of snow peppered the ground. But the sun was shining, and Benny was decked out in his new waterproof boots. So we went out to play.
Although I know I should send her back to her room, she looks so sweet with droopy eyes and disheveled hair. I can’t help but pull her into bed next to me.
What’s harder for a dad? Shopping for his daughter’s dress for homecoming? Or realizing that his little girl is growing up.
Today I tried to conform into what I always aspire to be: what I call a "Library Mom." You know those moms at the library who speak in hushed tones to their kids as they usher them around helping them find appropriate books.
As someone who’s never been a fan of mornings, I know how hard it is to wake up. I also know what it’s like to be jostled awake, against my will, and forced to face the day.
See, I have lost the battle of cleaning my 5-year-old’s room. Well, actually I gave up. And I don’t give up easily. But it’s not my son’s fault. It’s because he has over-indulgent parents.
Seeing how different my children are from myself can be jarring. But seeing how much we’re alike is more of a shock.
I wonder how much loss aversion influences my parenting. How what I’ve gained slips through my fingers like a minnow, flashing away before I appreciate its beauty, while what I’ve lost crashes like a boulder into still water, rippling through me long after first impact.
My son went off to sleepaway camp, and when he came back, he was a teenager. I guess that’s better than having him come back as a cat or an iguana. However the transformation was so complete, he may as well have turned into another species.
KT Tunstall sings through my earbuds as I watch the desert roll by from the back seat of our station wagon....Suddenly I see, this is what I want to be...Her ‘20-something’ lyrics are most likely about discovering her own emerging identity, but they hit home for me right now as I realize this is where I want to be right now.
