Category Archives: Kids

The Back-to-School Build Up

I love that old Staples commercial that shows a father gleefully filling a shopping cart with school supplies, kicking his heels to the strains of “It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year” while his kids mope along behind. I, … Continue reading

Posted in Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check, Working motherhood | Tagged , , , , , | 10 Comments

Holy Mackerel

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 Cursing Toddler

Hey, check out my guest post on Scary Mommy, the site of fellow blogger Jill Smokler!

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The Last Armed Democrat

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

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

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Bracing for the Crash

I got a very good piece of advice from a friend whose oldest child is a few years older than mine: do not, under any circumstances, buy a new car within two years of your child’s taking Driver’s Ed. My … Continue reading

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And Don’t Forget to Write

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

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My Unaccompanied Minors

Now that the plane has landed, I can admit it: my three kids flew alone together from Boston to Orlando this morning, and I was petrified. For Christmas last year, my sisters-in-law and their partners gave my children the best … Continue reading

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The Best Things in Life are Freeloaded

This summer, my kids will swim in a series of private pools. My son will golf at a country club. We will vacation in Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket.  And it won’t cost us more than the price of a ferry … Continue reading

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Don’t Let it Go to Your Head

If my 8-year-old had to derive her sense of self strictly from the public recognition she received last week, she’d be insufferable. Good thing she’s got me to keep things in perspective. First, she was asked  to sign the Principal’s … Continue reading

Posted in Cranky mommy blogger, Family life, Kids, Parenting, Reality check | Tagged , | 2 Comments