Category Archives: Boys will be boys

Diet of the Week

Posted on March 16, 2012 by

Last week my son announced he was going to stop drinking soda and eating red meat. Given that he has subsisted almost entirely on bacon and root beer for 14 years, this came as something of a shock. Still, I … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Food, Kids, Parenting | Tagged , , , , , | 7 Comments

Throwing My Counterweight Around

Posted on March 5, 2012 by

One of my key roles as parent is to contradict whatever my children do or say. If a child is feeling blue, my job is to cheer her up; if she’s inexplicably giddy, I make her empty the dishwasher. When … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers | Tagged , , | 6 Comments

For the Love of Siblings

Posted on January 11, 2012 by

My little brother is the only person on earth I have ever punched as hard as I could. It’s been 35 years, but I can still recall the intense feelings of rage I felt toward him for his hideous way … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers | Tagged | 7 Comments

Nothing Two Advil Won’t Cure

Posted on November 17, 2011 by

When my son first told me his head hurt after football practice, I offered my standard response: “I’m sure it’s nothing; take two Advil.” By now, I should know better. I have given this erroneous assessment at least a dozen … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Working motherhood | Tagged , , , | 5 Comments

Rattlesnakes, Spiders and Bears

Posted on August 9, 2011 by

Oh my. My son returned home from a two week backpacking trip in the Blue Ridge mountains with some harrowing tales to tell, along with a smelly piece of freshly-killed-rattlesnake skin. A more anxious mother might have banned him from … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Parenting, Teenagers, Travel | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Zipping Down the Line

Posted on July 29, 2011 by

In recent weeks, my son has become obsessed with the idea of building a zip line in our backyard. To me, it sounded like a cockamamie idea–one of his crazy projects that would soon give way to plans for building … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Parenting | Tagged , , | 5 Comments

Holy Mackerel

Posted on July 25, 2011 by

Like many representatives of his gender, my son is project-driven. Do not ask him to sit and have a conversation, unless it’s about the melting point of copper or where to find 25 pounds of modeling clay. Our house is … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting | Tagged , , , | 8 Comments

The Last Armed Democrat

Posted on July 12, 2011 by

Our arsenal keeps growing. We already own a pretty good quality bow and arrow and several AirSoft guns; for those of you with pacifist sons or daughters only, these are “toy” weapons that shoot little round pellets, which are neither … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers | Tagged , , , , | 6 Comments

Camp is Just Ducky

Posted on July 5, 2011 by

It was a 603 number, and the caller ID read, “Merrimack Valley YMCA.” My heart dropped. My 13-year-old son had been at a YMCA sleepaway camp in New Hampshire for a little over a week, and he still had six … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

And Don’t Forget to Write

Posted on June 26, 2011 by

He didn’t even have his cellphone for comfort. Electronics, of course, are not allowed at summer camp, so when we dropped our 13-year-old son off yesterday at the bus that would take him into the wilds of New Hampshire, he … Continue reading →

Posted in Boys will be boys, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Teenagers | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments