Ages & Stages

Before everyone’s normal routine was flipped upside down, my husband and I had our family’s daily routine down to a science. We both worked full time, our older two went to school, and the youngest went to daycare. Our day started bright and early at 5:45 AM, with everyone out to face the world by 6:30. After the daily grind of work, school, homework, and after-school activities, we ended the day with dinner before 6:00 PM and the kids bathed and in bed by 7:30. Of course, that daily routine was thrown out the window due to COVID-19. While we no longer leave the house on a daily basis, we try to fill the day with activities to stay busy. Our...

Dear High School Senior, There are probably a lot of emotions running through you right now. At some point in the not-too-distant-past, you felt a jolt of electricity when the announcement first hit – school was cancelled for two weeks. Although there were other important milestones that fell to the friendly fire, they were usually accompanied with terms like “postponed” and “rescheduled.” As the days mounted but before the Netflix shows became stale, those words morphed into one reverberating clanging – “cancelled.” The mourning began. There’s a prom dress that is still veiled in its plastic sheath. There are cleats in the closet that have barely pierced the grass. But there was one that you kept up home of adorning –...

Is there suddenly an unspoken rule against kids being kids? I jumped into the parenting game a little later in life, so I had no idea it was no longer cool for children to be children.  When did the rules change?  Recently, my son shared with me that an adult told him he was childish. Childish? He is EIGHT, what else could he be if not a CHILDISH CHILD.  I was perplexed, to say the least.  Being honest, I was also a little upset.  Why is he being shunned for being a child?  I admit that he is definitely a silly kid that enjoys being the center of attention.  But why is this an awful thing? My four-year-old still enjoys pretend...

The days have not been pleasant, but the memes have been nothing short of gold. A nation of children suddenly barred from their schools. Parents and guardians left analyzing Moodle, Google classroom, or pages of light grey workbook pages. Some set up makeshift classrooms in the dining room, others at the kitchen counter. Suddenly my J.K. Rowling inner monologue clues me onto one certainty – teachers everywhere are universally appreciated. As the first week crawled along like an 18-wheeler with the parking brake engaged, there was a small shift in the narrative I could see in my social media: pledges of a lack of parent-led teaching at home, and the world is now a classroom. I certainly have empathy for those...

So, a few months ago, my husband and I were enjoying a little one on one time. The kids were all in bed asleep and we decided to take advantage of the night. No sooner had things ended and I opened my eyes to see our seven year old standing beside the bed, tears in her eyes, “What’s happening??” I panicked, covering my breasts as I yelled, “Oh my gosh! Get out! Get out!” I’m pretty sure we looked like two beached whales as we flailed around for coverings. She ran from the room, crying. My husband and I freaked out for a few minutes. Our kid had just seen us having sex! OUR KID SAW US HAVING SEX!! What...