Pushing on a Rope
Parenting
Look Out World!
It’s official: Catherine is a member of the Hofstra University Class of 2018. With her midterms completed, she didn’t have to go to school on Friday so she and Basil instead drove to Hempstead, NY, to submit her paperwork and deposit. (Already she’s distinguishing herself at the school. It seems no one ever brings their … Continue reading
A step ahead
This will no doubt amaze you, but perhaps you are in the same boat: I have the ability to be embarrassing even if no one is watching. All month, I’ve been participating in Find Your Stride 2014, a free online challenge to take 10,000 steps a day — a widely recognized fitness milestone that most … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — Collegiate Dreamin’
Flashback to fall 1996 and this silly picture of Catherine in an Arizona U sweatshirt that belonged to Basil (I don’t know why; he didn’t go there). The photo seems appropriate given the news this week — four college acceptances so far, including Hofstra, her top choice. When she checked in with someone at the … Continue reading
For adoptees, it’s all about connections
As a searching adoptee, I faced a lot of questions from well-meaning people who just didn’t get it. “Didn’t you have a good childhood?” “Aren’t your parents your real parents?” “Shouldn’t you just leave it alone?” “Why rock the boat?” As I approach the year anniversary of connecting with Pat, my first mother, many of … Continue reading
Flashback Friday — Decking the Halls
Flashback to December 1971 and helping out with the tree-trimming. I got thinking about this yesterday, while sneaking peeks over my laptop, of Basil setting up the holiday display outside. Hunter, the toddler next door, was beside himself with delight over the process. He raced around the yard, touching and looking and “talking” to the … Continue reading
Here They Come A-Caroling
Greenwich High School’s five choirs rang in the holiday season in fine form last night, presenting a delightful night of seasonal tunes. Those of us who were starting to feel Grinch-y as we plowed our way through holiday tasks had our attitude adjusted in quick order. As with all things that will happen this year, … Continue reading
On her way
The envelope was big, white and emblazoned in red with a 48-point message of congratulations. I couldn’t resist texting Catherine a photo of it — her first college acceptance letter — when I pulled it from the mailbox yesterday morning. Oddly, she of the fast fingers didn’t reply to my message, but rather burst through … Continue reading
Throwback Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving! I hope your turkey is THIS good and the company is even better…
Teenagers: They’re loads of fun
Kids say the darndest, cutest things. Teenagers? Not so much. When Catherine was little, helping make the bed meant pulling up “the comfortable”; the time between midnight and 6 am was “the side of night”; she wondered, while helping fold laundry, if my bras were meant for chasing butterflies. These days, some of what comes … Continue reading
And You Wonder Why I’m Pushing on a Rope
There are many thankless things about parenting. We are underappreciated, taken for granted, hidden from the view of peers lest we prove embarrassing. We can lecture on a topic countless times only to be ignored, but if a stranger says the same darn thing, well, it’s genius. And — I don’t know about you, but … Continue reading
Pushing on a Rope 