When Is It TMI For Kids?
Bridget came home the other day and said, “Mommy I love third grade.” What luck! Thought I. She must love her teacher, unlike me as
Category: Kids & Parents
Being A Child Of Divorce Makes Me Think I Get Gays
I’ve been watching Ryan Murphy’s (Glee) new NBC sitcom The New Normal about a committed gay couple having a baby with a quirky, kind surrogate mother
5 Things Not To Do In Front Of Your Daughters
Clare is 10, Bridget is 8. They still climb in bed with us in the morning. They still want to snuggle in front of the
Does It Really Matter Whose Kid Is Smarter?
My kids are smart. They have a genetic pre-disposition. I was smart. Their dad was smart. We had high GPAs. We had high SATs. We
Why I Stopped Trying To Make My Daughter Be Pretty
My 10-year-old daughter Clare only likes to wear clothes from the boy’s section. Preferably a boxy, shapeless t-shirt with pictures of Spiderman or any other
Dark Night Of the Soul: Lost Friend
My friend Ion’s memorial service is on Saturday. It’s going to be at a lifeguard tower in Santa Monica where he worked and saved lives
When Someone Dies Too Young
An Unexpected Call I was working in my outdoor office last Thursday in the 90-degree heat when my cell phone rang. I didn’t recognize the
The Puberty Video’s at the End of the Year
Puberty is coming to my house. I have a fifth grader and the puberty video’s at the end of the year. But already things
There will be no child actors here!
A star has been born in our family. Yes, yes, I know Bridget is my child, therefore I’m partial. But this is not a subjective
When Caregivers Strike
“We’re born in diapers and we die in diapers.” This is what my grandpa Rusty told my mom, aunt, grandma and me as we hovered
I Both Want, And Don’t Want To Be A Working Mom
I need to get a job because we need the cash flow. My girls are 8 and 10 and I’ve had freelance writing jobs
What I Know About Sisters, Now That I’m In My 40s
Here’s What I Know About Sisters in my 47th Year The truth will set you free. I’ve been jealous of my younger sister, Gina, for
I’ve Met The Perfect 10
I met my perfect 10 on June 3rd, 2002 at approximately 3:33 p.m. My perfect 10 has long legs, cornflower blue eyes, thick, golden hair
My 99-Year Old Grandma Saved My Life
My Grandma Ellen turned 99 Today She was born in Wakeeny, Kansas, Trego County, July 2, 1913. We celebrated with wine and cake. I lay
Happy Father’s Day: An Image Is Worth a Thousand Words
This is what makes a father great: To my own dear dad on Father’s Day…
What’s Tearing My Relationship With My Daughters Apart
It’s 2:45 on Friday. I arrive at their elementary school to pick my daughters up from 4th and 2nd grade. They approach, sluggishly, pinched faces,
I’m A Benign Racist, But I Don’t Want My Kids To Be
We’re going to send our daughters to the public middle school. Don’t hold me to it. In a fit of helicoptering white-flight panic we might
11 Wedding Anniversaries In Photos
More Than a Decade of Marriage! Sunday Henry and I celebrated eleven years of marriage by gorging on red meat and tippling mescal while I
In Defense of my Friend Jamie Lynne Grumet: Time’s breastfeeding cover girl
The Controversy Surrounding Extended Breast Feeding Several years ago, during an interview with a homeopathic doctor for an ailment of mine, she mentioned she still
How to Throw a Greek Mythology Party For Kids!
First of all, don’t do it. Are you insane? But, if you must the very first thing you should do is to make the
A Mom Bully Kicked My Butt!
Women scare the ever-loving crap out of me. I’d rather go five rounds in the cage with UFC fighter Allistair Overeem than be subjected to
The Celebration of a Life
On Saturday my mom had a celebration at her home for her passionate, intelligent, macho, intrepid, intractable, loving, Rennaisance-Man-of-a husband, Guido, who passed away last
Things to do at The Grand Canyon (Lose Your Shizz)
I lost my marbles on the train platform at The Grand Canyon Saturday. Actually, a more astute phrase might be, “I went batshit crazy” aka
Over The Edge, Death In Grand Canyon!
Over The Edge, Death In Grand Canyon is the title of the book I’m reading since Henry, the kids and I set off for the
Wordless Monday in Sedona, Arizona
We’re on spring break. There are no beer funnels. No calling parents from a Oaxacan jail. No tequila-induced tattoos of dancing Geishas on our
