One of Our Own
He looks like one of us: broad cheekbones, full lips, olive complexion. He could be a younger brother or cousin. He could be my son... When I hear his life story and read his writings, I begin to...
View ArticleThe Girl’s Got Wheels
Remember those days of snuggling and oneness, when you and your babe were inseparable? Especially when my kids were little, I felt like I was living with great works of art: surprising, inspiring,...
View ArticleAdventures of our Baby
We've long stopped seeing our kids through rose-colored glasses. When I hear parents say things like, "Well, I know my child never drinks or smokes," I silently respond, "hmm, you think you know."...
View ArticleGet the Tissues, Get the Broom!
"Just imagine -- five girls, five shampoo bottles, five conditioner bottles, five bottles of body wash, five scrubbies, and all those towels...Part of me longs to smooth everything over and see that...
View ArticleMother of a Jock
"Even as an infant, one friend joked that he was the plutonium baby, so heavy, dense, and strong. As soon as he could walk, he started throwing balls and carrying sticks around."[Read more...]
View ArticleWe Still Have Joy
As we age...we let go more. Each time a child leaves for college, I mourn. When it's so painful to separate from my teens and young adults, how much more difficult was it for Mary to leave her little...
View ArticleFor Trupti and Tushar in Pune, India
A girl and boy eye me from the top of the stairs. We throw mutual sidelong glances and wonder if we are waiting for each other. I've come to the Deep Griha Family Welfare Center to sponsor a child,...
View ArticleConfessions of a Luddite Mom
Could it be that I'm the only mom in the world who doesn't carry a cell phone? I hate to even admit it: it's such a pain to try to justify while people gaze upon you as such a Luddite. …[Read more...]
View ArticleThe Good Girls Go To College
"Hey, Meiko, do you still have that fake ID?" Katja asks her older sister when we visit her at college. Meiko's a first-year student at Barnard in New York City. The three of us are scrunched in the...
View ArticlePiece on Earth
Ah, holidays with teenagers..... Two days after Christmas, Katja's friend was having a bonfire in her back yard. Global warming has made Wisconsin winter this year quite pleasant, with temperatures...
View ArticleMama Laureate
It's not like I just started writing or something. It's not like I've been closeting myself. Like most other writers, I've been toiling at this for years, 20 plus. Writing is a long, slow track career,...
View ArticleStill Married
If you're a parent of teens, and you're married, still, to the parent of your children, it means you've been together a long, long, very long time. Our oldest child turns 20 this summer, the age I was...
View ArticleEverybody Loves an Asian Boy
I was with Katja and Malachi at "Urban" (or Urban Outfitters, as those out of the know, like me, call it), getting fidgety and restless as I always do when I take the kids shopping. So many cutesy...
View ArticleThe Truthiness of Teens
It all started back in May, when I was called out of town. My husband, Ed, was on a business trip, so I decided to entrust the kids to Meiko, just back from college in New York. Almost 20 years …[Read...
View ArticleThe Tyranny of Housework
If I give up earthly attachment and retreat to monastic life, if I end up divorced and living in a studio apartment, if you find me in a women's commune living off the grid, know that it was all for...
View ArticleGrant Us Wisdom, Grant Us Courage
My husband, Ed, and I just returned from four days away from our children, the longest we've ever been away. We never even took a honeymoon, because someone who hates weddings and the trappings of...
View ArticleAre You a Female Chauvinist Pig?
Are you a female chauvinist pig? Take this quiz and find out! Answer these questions with a number from 1 to 4: 1 = never, 2 = occasionally, 3 = often, 4 = always 1. I wear thongs and lingerie. …[Read...
View ArticleThe Min Legacy
I come from a long line of justifiably angry women. We wear our anger like mantels and pass it on to our daughters. The legacy manifests as workaholism, pursuit of status, a sense of superiority over...
View ArticleLearning Santosha
My friend's new novel has just been released by a major publisher. It's getting great reviews; she's embarking on a national book tour. I'm thrilled for her, but you know how it goes: Did I waste my...
View ArticleShopping For a Bralette
As a 34AA, I wouldn't bother wearing a bra, except that my work as a yoga teacher requires some modicum of discretion and containment. So the last time I went bra shopping, I bought half a dozen...
View Article
