Abigail Carter: the Alchemy of Loss: A Young Widow’s Transformation

As we bump down the messy path of childhood to teen-dom, I have often found myself explaining away unexplainable kid behavior as being related to the trauma of their childhoods, the lack of a dad, their grief. Irrational eruptions over homework are explained as unexpressed grief from their tumultuous...

Borrowed from crazyismysuperpower.blogspot.com I’ve been tiptoeing through the morass of teenage angst – worst day of life, I’m stupid, I have no friends, everyone hates me, I hate everyone, why is everyone else getting As when they don’t even work for it – being just a few of the themes....

Can I have those shoes, please? You may have noticed my lack of posts of late. I am experiencing that vortex of time known as summer vacation – the one where you find yourself cleaning the kitchen five times a day, tidying the fifteen pairs of shoes by the door,...

Raising kids without a partner can often make you think you are going crazy. Sixth Grade is a tough year. Middle School is brutal. We all remember and often cringe thinking about those years. So when a certain middle schooler began getting teased for his perfect Justin Beiber hair at...

I heard myself say “I’m a bad parent” this morning on the phone. It’s a refrain I have, kind of tongue in cheek, kind of not. I say it when I find myself in that strange gray area where the rules of parenting are unclear, or when I’ve broken...

I wake up on Sunday morning to the pitter patter of little feet and giggles coming from the kitchen. There’s the sound of more giggles and dishes rattling as the tray of burnt toast and watery tea is brought up to my bedroom. The door opens to the cry...

  The kids at Sunset, Maui, February 2011 My life has been a little surreal this week. A TV interview, quotes in various national publications, an Op-Ed published in Seattle Times and as I sit here writing this blog, my photo is being taken for an article about the 10th Anniversary...

The sky is gray and I feel myself slipping back down the slope a little. I have spent too much money this month and I lie awake at night worrying about it. I worry about the kids, their grades, the amount of time they spend on the computer, worry...

I really enjoy driving. Always have. I like the freedom of flitting about, I like going fast. As a single mother, I do ALL the driving. I drive to soccer practices, riding lessons, pick up late at night from dances and aborted sleepovers. I know all the quick routes...

It’s been weeks trying to convince a certain 11 year old to sign up to try out for his school’s soccer team. He played for a rec team when he was 7, but after a weird experience with a coach who split the team into an A and a...