kids
As my kids have grown up, I’ve tried to come to terms with the slow loss of them to the world.While this is the natural order of parenting, it’s still hard to accept. They’ve moved forward, and I’ve mourned the loss of our time together. Evenings once spent watching shows…
Most mornings, my 6-year-old is the first one awake; we chat while I get coffee, and I ask if he wants to call his Meme — my mother-in-law, and his grandmother. This is one of the only times of the day he can catch her, so if he’s up early…
I found my favorite description of parenting in a novel I read a few years ago. The author’s definition of what it means to raise kids to adulthood was perfect.The story’s main character pictures herself in a theatre and explains that when your child is very young, you are in…
This story is based on a conversation with Tara Vanderveer, 42, a remote teacher currently living in Antigua Guatemala. It has been edited for length and clarity.I’ve taught at colleges and universities, including a nursing faculty, for most of my adult life.My passion is education, and I don’t think the…
This past September, my husband and I planned a four-day trip to Seattle — partly for work, partly for play. We rarely get away without our 3- and 5-year-olds in tow. As the week of our trip approached, my mother-in-law, who had agreed to stay and watch our girls while…
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Clarke Byard, cofounder of The Byard Family Legacy Fund. It has been edited for length and clarity.Kevin was the new kid when we met in 10th grade. I was busy dancing; he was busy joining the football team. Eventually, our circles…
If someone had told me 25 years ago, as a divorced mom with a teenage son, that I was about to meet a wonderful man, marry him, and have two more children, I would not have believed it.I was 33, with a 15-year-old who lived across the country and traveled…
The first time I was called to the principal’s office was to discuss some questionable artwork my oldest son had created in 3rd grade.The principal expressed his concern that the picture of bloody, beheaded snowmen was a warning sign. It wasn’t. In fact, my son and his classmate had drawn…
Many Head Start programs across the country won’t open their doors on Monday.Nearly 65,000 children in Head Start programs nationwide may lose access in the coming days after missing their November 1 funding deadline for federal grants due to the ongoing government shutdown, according to the National Head Start Association.…
