parenting
Ghosts in the Nursery
July 8th, 2012 | adoption parenting
I’m getting a lot of T Berry Brazelton’s Touchpoints second-hand from Jay, who’s loving these books. It’s fair to say we’ve both been shocked by the depth and intensity of our own stuff that’s coming up as we learn to parent these kids.
Learning to Shut Up
June 6th, 2012 | daily life parenting
I think it’s a great skill to be able to mirror, reflect back, and participate in the conversation. My verbal abilities have gotten me this far in life, and I think I’m good at listening to and talking with the kids. But sometimes I really need to shut up.
Finding Our Rhythm
June 3rd, 2012 | daily life parenting
My mother had a rule while travelling: if an attraction had a star in the AAA Tourbook, we had to stop. Why would we leave a town without seeing everything the editors thought was worth a star? We moved quick, and we saw everything. On a 3- or 4-day trip to the Bay Area in my early teens, we saw Fisherman’s Wharf, Muir Woods, Alcatraz, Berkeley, the wine country, Stanford, The Winchester Mystery House, and Point Reyes. She loved it all. (In tribute to her far-reaching enthusiasms her ashes were scattered in many parts of the country and world, my bit near the lighthouse at Point Reyes.)
Pushing
May 20th, 2012 | adoption parenting
I don’t know what I thought the “pushing, testing” stage would look like, but I didn’t think it would involve pushing the cat off the balcony.
Is There Still Time to Turn French?
March 14th, 2012 | daily life parenting
After wading through a couple very earnest books on adoption and parent-child attachment, what fun to come across Pamela Druckerman’s Bringing Up Bebe: One American Mother Discovers the Wisdom of French Parenting. I love this book!
Appreciating Distraction
February 28th, 2012 | parenting
A knockout essay in the NY Times by Hanif Kureishi about the Value of Distraction got me thinking about how our obsession with diagnosing, regularizing, and “optimizing” kids.
Our TV Friends Are Waiting Too
February 16th, 2012 | parenting waiting and wanting kids
OK, guilty. I was checking out Smash this week (will the sensitive brunette or the bombshell blonde be picked to play Marilyn?).
Giving Meaning to Our Wait
February 8th, 2012 | parenting waiting and wanting kids
On the recommendation of a friend I’m reading a fascinating new book, Timothy Wilson’s Redirect: The Surprising New Science of Psychological Change. I also recently saw Our Idiot Brother, and the two have me thinking.
Being a C Student
February 4th, 2012 | daily life parenting waiting and wanting kids
My twice-yearly dental cleanings are an interesting opportunity to feel like a completely mediocre achiever. I don’t think I’m incredibly lazy, or unable to follow directions. OK, I probably don’t brush for the full two minutes each time, but I floss twice a day (always!), and I try the different techniques that have been offered–circular! slower! angle up! count to 6!
It Will Take A Village
January 20th, 2012 | parenting takes a village
I’ve been thinking about all the help we’re going to need when these kids land, and how bad I am at asking for help. What an opportunity this will be!