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Barbara Falconer Newhall

Veteran journalist Barbara Falconer Newhall riffs on life as she knows it.

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What Makes Me Happy? Having a Happy Kid, of Course

July 2, 2022 By Barbara Falconer Newhall

what makes me happy? -- a happy kid
Here’s what happy looks like — a brand new father and a newborn baby. Photo by Barbara Newhall

What makes me happy? Noticing that one of my kids is happy.

For example, meeting Peter at the hospital on the day his first child is born — and taking a picture of his beatific, Mona Lisa smile.

I’m working super hard on a couple of projects this week — namely, playing with my granddaughters and spending some quality time with my son and daughter-in-law — so I’m going to let this photo of happy Peter with his swaddled newborn say it all for me.

What else is making me happy these days? I’ve got two — count ’em, two — books in the works. More about that soon.

This is not the first picture of Peter I’ve posted.  I’ve been photographing and writing about my kids for decades. Here’s a story about mothering Peter when he was a teenager, “How Selective Service Made a Man of My Son — Without Even Trying.”   And here’s one about Christina being Christina, “What’s Rhetoric? Let My Two-Year-Old Tell You.”

Filed Under: My Ever-Changing Family

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LET’S CONNECT

ON THE FUNNY SIDE

Gray Hairs. Wrinkles. And Kids Who Won’t Stop Growing Up

Christina, Jon and Peter. Their mother had gray hairs, bu the kids were still small enough to cuddle. Photo by Barbara Newhall

Peter’s in fourth grade now. My third grade boy is gone. Christina has grown an inch since Easter. My size 6 girl is gone.  Read more.

MORE "ON THE FUNNY SIDE"

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TO MY READERS

Please feel free to share links to my posts with one and all and to quote briefly from them in your own writing, remembering, of course, to attribute the quote to me and to provide a link back to this site.

My Oakland Tribune columns, btw, are reprinted by permission of the Trib. With the exception of review copies of books, I do not accept ads or freebies of any kind. Click on the "Contact" button if you have questions. Enjoy!

 

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