Mother's Day Breakfast 2009 There was a time when I rolled my eyes at Mother’s Day. Another guilt inducing dash around for flowers or some “perfect” thing to show appreciation. Father’s Day was no exception. My dad was the Scrooge of Father’s Day and to this day, whenever I call...
...continue readingArchive
The Ghost of Mother’s Days Past
Teaching Kids Work Ethics by Having a Temper Tantrum. Lessons in Effective Parenting.
I walked in the door and he was slumped in his seat watching a Khan Academy video. The tutor looked exasperated and took me aside to tell me so. Later there was a temper tantrum where phrases like “I hate my life!” and “I’s so stupid!” were flung at...
...continue readingSingle Mother vs. Surgery: No contest
Ab, Pre-Op, April 2, 2012 A call came that my surgery was bumped up by an hour, so I scrambled to find a different ride to the hospital since my previously scheduled ride couldn’t make the earlier time. The usual single mother dilemma. Another friend sweetly picked me up and...
...continue readingGrief Kid Syndrome? Maybe Not
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...
...continue readingTip-toeing Through The Teenagers
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....
...continue readingA Single Parent’s Natural Summertime Habitat
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,...
...continue readingWhooping A Bully’s A$$
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...
...continue readingThe Shame of Parenthood
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...
...continue readingWill the Real Mother’s Day Please Stand Up?
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...
...continue readingAn SMH (Shake My Head) Moment
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...
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Learning to live again after the sudden death of my husband Arron on 9/11. I wrote my book, The Alchemy of Loss, as a testament to finding the silver lining of grief and loss, to discovering the defibrillator effect of trauma and its power to awaken us into really living. I now live in Seattle with my two teenaged kids.
