Was I a tradwife back in the 1980s? Or was I a second-wave feminist still figuring out how to make the marriage-family-career thing work? Read more.
My Ever-Changing Family
Our family shrinks and grows. People die. People get born. People get mad and won't talk to you for a while. Kids grow up and find partners of their own, and pretty soon there are brand-new in-laws. And a grandchild or two.
What to Do With Those Battered Old Baby Shoes? Hide Them in a Wall, of Course
Those battered old baby shoes? Hide them in a wall. It’s centuries old tradition that lets you declutter without giving up your dear old stuff. Read more.
My Mother’s Writing Desk Is Not My Writing Desk. Here’s Why
Being in the same room with my mother’s writing desk is like being in the same room with my mother, which is why her desk isn’t in my writing room. Read more.
Kids Leave Home. They Just Do
Kids leave home. That’s how it often is in our oversized, mobile nation. We pack up and move across the country with impunity, leaving our families and origins behind. Read more.
My Son Is in the Hospital With Appendicitis 2,000 Miles Away. How Do I Mother Him From Here?
My son Is in the hospital with appendicitis 2,000 miles away. He’s 28 years old and living on his own. How do I mother him from here?
The Art of Rhetoric — If a Two-Year-Old Can Master It, So Can You
Even my toddler knew how to ply the art of rhetoric. It’s something we humans use every day, on each other, starting at an early age. Read more.
When My Mother Was the Grandma
My mother was the grandma in the family. She deserved respect from our kids. Not because she’d earned it, but because she was the grandma. Read more.