Pushing on a Rope
Parenting
It was my moment — and she missed it
It took a hurricane, but I finally got Catherine to willingly accompany me to the Jazzercise Center of Southwestern Connecticut, where I teach a couple times a week. Given the choice between a dark, cold house and watching Mom in all her embarrassing glory, the choice was clear — as long as she could rely … Continue reading
Keepin’ it classy on our first campus tour
I can’t believe I’m typing this, but it’s true: Tomorrow, we take Catherine to her first college open house. This person: (now this person): is starting to look at colleges. It’s an early look — to a get a lay of the land. Having just started junior year of high school a couple of months … Continue reading
Boo-hoo.
I thought ages 4-12 months brought a lot of changes, what with the sitting up, solid food, rolling over, crawling, standing, learning to talk. But that was only because I didn’t know all the milestones that teen years would bring. All the obvious physical changes, of course. And the removal of braces. Now the driving … Continue reading
C is for cookie. It’s good enough for me.
Catherine and I put the new oven through its paces today and the result is a house that smells like heaven. With the church youth group potluck tomorrow, we offered to bring two batches of cookies and that meant hitting the kitchen. We never buy bakery treats because Catherine is allergic to nuts and must … Continue reading
Watching my disappearing act
I’m becoming irrelevant. It began happening years ago, and slowly, but surely, it’s picked up speed. I’m feeling a little like the Cheshire Cat, except instead of watching me dissolve into a grin, you’ll soon find an empty wallet where I used to be. Years ago, the letting go was cause for a mother’s celebration: … Continue reading
Oh crap! I blinked
I’ve always been a little smug about all that unsolicited parenting advice. Everyone warned me — sometimes more than once — that time would speed by, that Catherine would be all grown up before I knew it and I’d better pay attention. Yeah, yeah, I thought. Don’t waste your breath, because I will never miss … Continue reading
Time to act my age
You know how kids say the darndest, cutest things? Teenagers don’t. We’re going to a dinner dance Friday night to support breast cancer research and I need to wear something pink (natch). Casting around in my mind for options, I remembered a cute pale-pink sheath dress Catherine bought a while back for a party. At … Continue reading
Curbing my enthusiasm for driving lessons
“What to Expect When You’re Expecting” and books by Spock, Brazelton and other child experts may walk you through morning sickness and stretch marks, colic and the terrible 2s. But those aren’t the most challenging milestones a mother will face. Nope. I submit that high in the running for that honor is Teaching Your Child … Continue reading
That was some, er, feet
There’s an old saw that says you should walk a mile in someone else’s shoes, but you couldn’t have gotten very far in mine today. I took a quick break in the middle of the day to swing by the high school and drop off Catherine’s Epi-Pen and inhaler. She tagged along, eager to peek … Continue reading
Sweet rewards when I least expected them
Parents have moments and MOMENTS. Some send us running for cover, others keep us grinning for hours. God knows we’ve had our MOMENTS with Catherine — the supermarket tantrum over a hot-pink rubber ball I wouldn’t buy, the testing of illicit words, the time she waited until my back was turned and then hit me … Continue reading
Pushing on a Rope 