This Weekend Is Not Working Out!
I am supposed to be working tomorrow on my house: plumbing and wiring. I mentioned this yesterday. Now, in addition to the birthday party, I learn that my older son, who has been anxiously awaiting the start of baseball season, is supposed to have his first practise on Saturday morning at 9. I’ve already e-mailed […]
Kids and Loss
I discovered a stunning fact yesterday evening. My kids don’t always understand what I tell them. This is a stunner because I am a reasonably capable communicator. My verbal skills have tested well above average, and my communication ability is constantly being put to the test in the work that I do. So you’d think […]
We Have the Green Plague
This time of year, it’s impossible to keep your car, patio, windows, porch, sidewalk, or any other surface clean. It’s the Green Plague. When the oak trees start to bloom, they release enough pollen to blanket three or four planets this size. And it goes on for just WEEKS. Saturday night, I asked my sons […]
Dilemmas, Dilemmas
I have a dilemma. My kids have been invited to a birthday party on Saturday afternoon from 2 to 4. Since it’s people they know through my X, I said it was fine for them to go if he could take them. The X, however, is going to be out of state on Saturday. As […]
Sibling Rivalry
My boys are all boy. And that means that I have to live, day in and day out, with the most outrageous levels of competitive spirit. The boys love each other, but each is determined to outdo the other, in everything. Most days, I can handle the competition with equanimity. But yesterday I lost my […]
Almost There….
Basketball season, for my kids’ teams, will end on Saturday. I’m glad. They decided halfway through the season that they really didn’t care for basketball, after all, and it’s been tough to motivate them when their teams are losing games. Last night, my younger son was angry because one of the boys on his team […]
The Kids Are Home
They went to Reelfoot Lake with their father to watch the eagles. They had a great time, and are full of stories …. though I heard more about the dead beaver than I did about the bald eagles. I’m not sure how my older son is handling this crazy week. Both of them are excited […]
A Long Weekend
This is going to be a great weekend. Since my parents will be out of town celebrating V-day, I took off from work to take care of the kids. We’re going to get up really early and take the car to the mechanic. We have to wait there while the oil change and tune-up are […]
Taking Things TOO Far
Three kids did a really dumb thing, and the grown-ups in their school are going way overboard in punishing them. The kids got the “bright” idea to set up a myspace account, impersonating a teacher at the school. They apparently managed to keep it up for three days, and, of course, word spread around school, […]
This Is Just SO Wrong!
There is a family in our area that is trying to regain custody of their daughter after giving her up to foster care when she was a few weeks old. She’s now eight years old. The Baker family has reared this little girl for eight years; they are what she knows as “her family.” Her […]