Category: Parenting
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Invisible
Taking pictures has been a passion of mine since I was a teenager, when you had to develop negatives and print them on paper. So photography came with a cost. I wasn’t particularly good at it, but I captured moments and emotions. I have family photos from 50 years ago that my uncle took. My…
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La jumătatea claselor primare
Am petrecut cu prima fiica primii ani de școală in pandemie. Nu mai fusesem in acel sezon ca părinți si ne-am adaptat fără așteptări. Nici n-am știut cât de bine ne era de fapt. Învățătoarea s-a adaptat si ea, si a dat tonul bine, mai ales ca apucasem clasa pregătitoare in scoli. Am ascultat multe…
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Perspective
Pe site-ul copii.gov.ro sunt povești emoționate și reale și încurajatoare despre adopție. Majoritatea scrise în primii ani, poveștile încă proaspete, și în mod evident romantice. Dar după o vreme, chiar cu cele mai bune intenții, subiectul adopției se prăfuiește. Obosim de atâta atenție, de povara de a fi diferit, și vrem să ne ascundem, să…
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The Proverbs…
Are my refugeMy childhood fortfamiliar and comfortingI would turn to this bookOver and overSince my preteen years. A Solid groundunchanged in essenceBut revealing new life,Hope, clarity, direction. Committing it to memorywithout trying to memorize it. It will be a strange journeyTo undertake with others. I don’t recall precisely what drew meto the book of Proverbsin…
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wide awake
We had a great summer. A pretty fantastic year actually. After the few hard decisions of deleting WhatsApp on Jackie’s phone, and taking a break from school drama, we relished in the peace of distance. After school started, Jackie asked if she can have WhatsApp re-installed. She said she will respect its time limit and…
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Expectations & people pleasing
Mid life adults struggle with people pleasing. The idea in itself is not inherently bad, but when we stop listening to our own wishes or preferences, we can be in danger of losing ourselves alltogether. I wanted to please my parents. And watching my brother test the waters with daring courage, I stayed clear from…
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The confidence built in silence
For a parent it takes a lot of practice to step back and let the kids become responsible for themselves. Let them make mistakes if you already warned them or gave them the advice needed. This week the music teacher told them that of any of them plays any instrument to bring it to school…
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Take my word for it
Let your yes be yes, and your no be no. My mom was a strong believer in clear honest talk. No matter the context. She disliked sarcasm as it hid frustration and double talk. And I do believe I owe it to my parents that the way I learned to interact with others had no…
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accommodating
My kids prefer my company and input, even though I believe I’m more strict & not as fun as my husband. Generally, women are social accommodators. We read tones, read between the lines, pay attention to subtle words or moods… and answer the real questions. We keep the peace and meet the kids where they…
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Bitterness redeemed
I had to remember to be present, and postpone the wallowing in frustration. Oh, to be able to stop the train of negative thoughts, what a powerful feeling. Having tried this in a season of extreme exhaustion or emotional overstimulation, the feeling of powerlessness added to the frustration. Enough with the theory. Every week I…
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Romance
Both girls giggle about boys. So innocent. Different boys come to the door ti invite them out to play. They gag when they see kissing in movies, but the interest in boys is in a stage of its own in their development. They try to play it cool but then they ask me stuff. And…
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Last minute stars alignment
Having friends, maintaining friendships can be expensive. Having built these friendships through church we got used to free socializing. But I can see how going out is getting to be too pricy. Alas, we went on a weekend away and swam and assembled food, shared stories and listened to each other’s heart or silliness. And…