Category Archives: New York City Living and Coping

Getting the Unexpected at a Parent-Teacher Meeting

Posted on January 7, 2014 by mama one to three

The hallway outside my oldest daughter’s first grade classroom is wallpapered with the children’s colorful work. I am waiting with other parents for our “parent teacher conference,” our ten minutes to learn how our child is adjusting. This year, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, It's All About Me, Mental health, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

When You’re Married to a Writer

Posted on November 19, 2013 by mama one to three

And you get a big rejection of a piece in an email while together you’re watching The Colbert Report, so you go into the kitchen and cry like a baby, and say “Nothing,” when your husband asks what’s wrong, and … Continue reading →

Posted in It's All About Me, New York City Living and Coping, Writing | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

Upon a Spotted World

Posted on November 13, 2013 by mama one to three

There are the days I retreat. Those days I am particularly sad and feel raw to the world. A high didn’t last; I let myself down; someone did something so much better than I did, or would, or thought of … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, It's All About Me, Mental health, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Minted Artists Bring Color and Craft to Your Holidays

Posted on November 8, 2013 by mama one to three

I am always looking for ways to impress my friends with something different. You have heard me say, however, that I have little imagination for gift giving; so when I find something special, I enjoy a little boasting, and the … Continue reading →

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The Part of Parenting We Don’t Talk About

Posted on October 27, 2013 by mama one to three

(This post was written for and originally published on WhatToExpect.com with the title “The Part of Parenting We’re Too Embarrassed to Talk About.”) Occasionally a post circulates the Internet in which the author describes witnessing a mother in the midst of a public … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, It's All About Me, Mental health, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , , , | 34 Comments

When You Least Expect

Posted on October 12, 2013 by mama one to three

I sat in the playground this afternoon while Henry and Molly played, reading a new parenting book. The methods and message of the book contrast greatly with how I have been parenting. And that is the point of my reading this … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, It's All About Me, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , | 10 Comments

A Heart With Legs

Posted on October 11, 2013 by mama one to three

The other night, the girls discussed what God looks like. Ellie needed answers. Real ones. “He is whatever you imagine he looks like,” was the best I could do for her. Molly explained, calmly that he could look like a … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , , | 4 Comments

Robins

Posted on September 9, 2013 by mama one to three

It is the eve of first grade. We are sitting in the hallway, on the runner; you are in pajamas, just bathed. We are discussing war. Because you have asked. You ask about shooting and cannons. The fort we visited … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Variations on a Theme: Summer

Posted on July 25, 2013 by mama one to three

“Thank you my life long afternoon…” From Variation on a Theme by W.S. Merwin “Forgive me. I simply do not know what I am doing.” From Variations on a Theme by William Carlos Williams by Kenneth Koch Summer’s great, right? Ah, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, Humor, It's All About Me, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments | Tagged , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Have You Ever Been Happy?

Posted on July 20, 2013 by mama one to three

I would not say I am a happy person. By nature or by defect, I am often depressed and moody. And it is by knowing the darkness that I can experience its absence with pure appreciation. There is an almost … Continue reading →

Posted in Family Life, It's All About Me, Mental health, New York City Living and Coping, Parenting Moments, Poetry/fiction | Tagged , , , , , , | 8 Comments