Category Archives: parenting
Curtain Call
I have been fighting the demons for a long time…and I’m not speaking of my children. Deep inside of me I know, even when no one else does. They are all the things that I am afraid of; they are what I might have been; and they are the things I mustn’t ever tell. OnContinue reading “Curtain Call”
Weeds and Stings
You can’t possibly know the glory of the rose’s bloom while the climber lies in waiting. The thatch and nettle push their way in front of my pink yarrow. Even the hollyhocks stand in the shadows of an unnamed weed that must have gone unnoticed for too long. There is milkweed sprouting alongside the corn.Continue reading “Weeds and Stings”
Sitting on a Phone Book
“Can I say a bad word?” At least he asked permission. “If you really have to, go in the bathroom and yell it into the toilet,” I offered tentatively, still trying to get a handle on this fine art of parenting. “What the hell….” I heard a soft, almost apologetic version of this “bad word.”Continue reading “Sitting on a Phone Book”
Asparagus
He had spun me from what was left of my childhood, turning me toward the rich path of motherhood by his very existence. I made acquaintance with his wise, deep eyes and soft, wild hair. Together, we tried to figure out what to do. It’s hard to make sense of things, to make them allContinue reading “Asparagus”
Magnolia
It always seemed like by the time I would notice that the magnolia blossoms had opened, the petals had begun to fade and fall from the tree, leaving a disappointing, slippery mass which seemed to scoff: “You’ve missed it again.” This year, though, our tree held its flowers for much longer than I had everContinue reading “Magnolia”
Outbuildings
The property was maybe a forty-five minute drive from my grandparents’ house in the St. Louis city limits, but the contrast between the expansive country acreage and the tidy urban parcel led me to believe that we must have circled the moon and stars to get there. I can’t even remember the color of theContinue reading “Outbuildings”
No Elderberry Tree
“Mom, why are you crying?” His question came from a place of innocence that I feared was about to fade before my eyes, which could no longer contain what I knew. “Because she loves you,” said the nurse softly, gently, poignantly. I knew it would be different this time, for so many reasons. So I’mContinue reading “No Elderberry Tree”
Tie Me to a Tree
The six year old practices every bad word he knows in one long stream, shot directly at my quiet request to put on fresh underwear. Three days seems a little long for the same pair of boxers…even during e-learning. “Home is their haven.” These were words that I shared more than once or twice overContinue reading “Tie Me to a Tree”
The Secret Room
Once, I cried at a baseball game. It was dark, so no one probably even knew. By some sort of twist in the interpretation of a rule…or something…the very reliable little league pitcher for Aaron’s team had to be pulled from the game. Though the details elude me, I remember that much was on theContinue reading “The Secret Room”
