List/Grid Monthly Archives: August 2011
Parent Caregivers
Joaquin recently had his first visit to a dentist. After filling out some paperwork, the hygienist led us into a room filled with brightly-colored toys and pictures of various Disney characters. An episode of The Backyardigans blared on a television mounted to the ceiling. The dentist came in a few minutes later and introduced herself. I asked if she had any kids. No, but she had two nieces, she said, nodding towards some photos on…
Living In Harmony With Nature? We Can Do It…
I’m very inspired by the book I’m currently reading, “A Short History of Progress” by Ronald Wright, on the evolution of civilization. It’s an environmentally based look at the rise and fall of civilizations, from the early humans we loosely refer to as cave men, to modern society. According to Wright, ancient civilizations rose to greatness because of the vast natural resources available to them; and perished when they overused and exhausted these resources. And the…
Preschool Preparation
In the past couple of months, I’ve blogged about adopting our son, being a new mom and the mom of a toddler, as well as blogging about firsts that have come my way. This blog deals with preschool. Since the Littlest E starts preschool this week, it’s only fitting to write about practical and emotional preparation. I heard or read somewhere that it’s best if your toddler is familiar with the preschool surroundings prior to…
From Coo To Consternation; Toddler Speak
I think I’ve just stumbled upon a classic case of Be Careful What You Wish For. It seems like it was just the other day when I was begging Nora to speak; Mama, Daddy, peas, hi there- all of it. Every coo and gurgle was rewarded with a disproportionate amount of applause and adulation. We couldn’t wait for her to verbally acknowledge us, the outdoors, her pets, and her likes and dislikes. But we may…
Mini-Babymoon: Bubbles, Beer, and Chocolate
My husband and I are trying to fit in as many fun activities as we can before the baby arrives. A woman in my birthing class that is eight and a half months pregnant nonchalantly mentioned she went kayaking. That is not exactly what I have in mind. Last weekend, we spent a night away in nearby Ghent, Belgium. It is a three hour car drive for us and, for many reasons, was just the…
How A Bad Economy Is Good For Fatherhood
As outlined in my first post here on LIFEclectic, these are unprecedented times for fatherhood. Dads are more engaged than ever. More men are stay at home fathers and serve as their family’s primary caretaking option when mom is at work than in any other time in history. It isn’t all by choice. According to a 2011 report published by the Boston College Center for Work & Family entitled The New Dad: Caring, Committed, and…
Soul Surfing
Remind me, please, on the hardest days, when my heart is twisted in knots, when I see my youngest child, Sean burst through the door, his body wrecked with chaos and irrational anxiety, fingers bent into monster claws and tears bubble up like fountain spouts in syrup-y green eyes, that this too shall pass and that what I’m feeling is not shame, anger or frustration but connection. When his heart breaks mine breaks, too –…
Music So Bad It Makes Your Ears Bleed
In the mid 70’s when I was three, my favorite singer on the planet was Donna Summer. We had all her eight-tracks (if you’re too young to know what those were, Google them for a laugh), and I was in possession of a number of interesting misconceptions: Since Ms. Summer was wearing sunglasses on all the covers, I thought wearing sunglasses made me black. Consequently, I wore sunglasses all the time, and considered myself the…
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