Category: Parenting
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About consistency and eye-contact
Don’t look into a child’s eyes unless you are ready to reflect back their greatness, delightfulness, potential… I have been so burdened, wrapped up, distracted last week that I don’t remember slowing down enough to enjoy and delight in my kids’ presence. I have corrected them plenty and scolded them some. On Tuesday I dropped…
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The Woman – interview
Violeta Altmann is an atypical mother, if we look at her in a superficial way and especially through the prism of generations raised in a conservative and closed Romania. Towards the end of college she traveled to the States with Work and Travel, in California and eventually ended up working for one of the most…
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Father’s Day
Nobody or very few people know that today Romania celebrates Father’s Day. Anyway, we did observe this special day with a hike. A 13.5 km hike. As we got in the car, he asked for his gift: “no complaining on his Father’s Day hike.” The girls agreed. Including me. We picked up yummy food from…
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The intertwine of parenting while having adult conversations
I’m developing a twitch. An eye twitch. The fear of interruption for some inane reason, is real. If the girls go to the bathroom, the moment they return to the room they have to tell me about their experience or confirm they washed their hands or share a thought they had on the pot. I…
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Parent meltdowns
In April, I had a meltdown. The girls wanted to sleep at the grandparents and I reluctantly let them. I’m not sure why I was reluctant. Alas, I needed some time to myself. Why would I categorize my emotional guard down as meltdown? Because I sobbed and sobbed without worrying about who hears me. And…
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Let us not forget
Our purpose in our children’s lives. To see the best in themTo envision their best version. To build them upTo polish gentlyAnd let them see and feel our extravagant love. When we gently correct Or remind them the millionth time To not speak with food in the mouth Or to put away the dirty socks And it seems…
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Self-assurance
I started following this adoption account on instagram @theadoptionconnection and soon after, someone reached out to me with a personal note… Which was so unusually friendly and connecting. Today I decided to listen to this podcast and this adoptee who was adopted in the late 40s, in the era of adoption secrecy because nobody discussed…
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Rant in blocked care
Am I the only one who cares? When the floor is covered with a day’s clothes, mixed with toys, and books… and these are just the big items. Sprinkled between there are lego men and kinder egg toys. Every single day. I sort through the clean and dirty socks, I sort toys, I make beds,…
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blocked care
“If I feel this way, others must experience similar feelings.” I have this unconfirmed-by-facts sense of familiarity with the world around me. It has been a launching pad for courage: “If not me, then who?” I feel nervous or afraid, but the truth needs to be spoken or the action be taken, and I step…
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Hopeful
As I was getting ready for bed, I clicked and listened to this interview. I stumbled on this woman’s blog (Andreea) a few year ago, and it was so poignant, it moved me to tears every time I would read it. At some point I got to meet her mom share her story in an…
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Perspective
This is what most of us lack these days. You can’t will yourself into having genuine perspective. Sometimes you have to step out of your familiar surroundings and gain perspective. When Ivy talks over Jackie, Daddy uses the opportunity to impart the awareness of perspective. How does it feel when someone talks over you? Perspective…
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Burnout & hot chocolate
Burnout. I feel it all around me. Spread like wildfire. The burnout of life, the tedious day-in and day-out, of social distancing like a home arrest. We all used all our tricks to adapt, to survive and in some cases to thrive. We were not the most extravagant parents before, but we had our sense…