“Look, Mom! I found two balls in here.” “Why don’t you build something with your Legos?” “I want to get these out.” “Those don’t come out. Now stop doing that before you break something.” “I’m gonna pee them out.” “I really wish you wouldn’t.”
Two teenagers in the band parking lot took turns juggling three, small, tri-colored balls. Their juggling tools were so new that they smelled like fresh paint. I rolled down the car window and offered them a set of clubs so that they wouldn’t need to take turns. They mumbled that they didn’t know what to […]
Monday nights at 8 pm, I am still tucking children into bed and getting things ready for the next morning. Sometime between 9 and 10 pm, I settle in for an hour of recorded television. Every Monday, it comes down to a choice between House and Heroes. Heroes is fluffy fun and I should be […]
I gave Tommy some suggestions on making his politics paper’s topic more substantial. He went to his grandfather’s and they “discussed” the paper. Tommy called me and whined for an hour that he can’t write a paper without offending someone. I told him that it doesn’t matter what his topic is as long as he […]
Me: “The cat has a chipmunk in her mouth.” Doug: “What?” Me: “The cat has a chipmunk in her mouth.” Doug: “Where?” Me: “In the front yard.” Doug: “Why is Tommy chasing the cat?” Me: “He’s trying to get her to drop the chipmunk.” Doug walks outside and I go in the bathroom to scrape […]
I am writing this from ten years in the past, when Evan was only four. If future me is having a chat about Evan with his therapist or arresting officer, this date might be important. This is the date when I, err you, found all of Evan’s sisters’ underwear stashed on Evan’s little, crib-sized bed. […]
I dug the last of the silver colored coins from the change jar to buy a Sunday paper. Tommy and his friend handed me the paper and I sat down to sort the paper into the order I like to read it. The editorial section went at the top of the pile and the coupons […]
Tommy is taking a political science class this semester. I have avoided discussing the class with him, because he needs to learn concepts instead of opinions. That was a mistake. Today, he made a post on his blog that is really a cry for help with his first politics paper. Here is an excerpt: “The […]