My youngest son is in middle school. I repeat, my son is in middle school; land of sprouting pre-teens, decorated lockers, sudden bursts of hormones, brand new cell phones and embarrassing parents. In preparation for this new adventure we had many a talk about middle school and new starts and how he would be perceived […]
I started college in the year 1989, which was pretty much when dinosaurs still roamed the earth in the context of a teenager’s brain. Kids to day probably couldn’t imagine life as we lived it on the VCU “campus” which was about four blocks from start to finish and where kids wore overalls and […]
In 1989, the Red Hot Chili Peppers played at Shafer Court on the VCU campus, Gwar was spewing blood and guts citywide and it seemed like everyone was at the Village drinking coffee and getting the breakfast special with a waiter with Buddy Holly glasses. I was a student at VCU, half my head shaved, […]
The greatest lessons I ever learned while growing up didn’t come in a conversation, so this Mother’s Day I share with you six things my mom said to me without ever saying a word. You don’t need a man to take care of you. My mom took care of her four kids whether my […]
I posted a picture on Facebook recently and one of my long time friends said, “Holy Crap your son has facial hair, I feel old.” “I don’t” I started to write but then my husband, who likes to annoyingly peer over my shoulder and call me out when I write a tiny little Facebook […]
We are past the age of putting our lives in careless danger without a second thought. We are past the age of playing chicken on a small dirt road with a sixteen wheeler. We are past the age of crossing active railroad tracks while in a less than astute state of mind. We are at […]
As Donovan gets older the list of things I am not allowed to do grows longer. Things that seemed at times a chore have become golden relics now that they are no longer allowed. No more walking to school with him. No more making […]
If there is one thing parents universally lie about it is how much time there kids spent in front of the television or computer screen, and if they aren’t lying about it they are adamantly explaining defending or justifying it. I know because I do it. So let’s stop lying. I’ll start. When my cranky […]
I take care of your kid and that’s how I know that it’s not the school, it’s not the supplies, it’s not the lesson plans or the college degrees or the fancy playground equipment; it’s the teacher and whether she gives a damn that makes a difference to your kid. Teaching is a labor of […]
