Travels with Toddler

First published on September 16, 2008

In my last post I stressed the importance of bringing along an Elmo DVD if you intend to take a toddler on a four-hour driving trip without another adult in the car who is willing to spend the entire journey twisted around dispensing handfuls of popcorn.

I would now like to point out that the Elmo DVD will do you very little good when your toddler starts freaking out because you are on an airplane.

When Families Happen

First published on September 10, 2008

The remarkable thing about my taking Jake to visit my sister-in-law "Aunt Minnie" last weekend was that it seemed so very unremarkable to me.

Twice Bitten: More of the Wisdom of Toddlers

First published on September 4, 2008

Not long ago, I arrived to pick Jake up from school to find not one but two incident reports awaiting me.

"He got bitten," one of Jake's teachers said apologetically.  "Twice."

A New Olympic Event—Caring for a Toddler While You Have the Stomach Flu

First published August 22, 2008

How about that Michael Phelps, huh? Single-minded determination, laser-like focus, conquering his body's limitations. The ultimate competitor.

I'd like to see him take care of a toddler while suffering from a good bout of stomach flu. 

Careful What You Google For

First published August 14, 2008

About a week ago I googled an old boyfriend. 

It wasn't a stalker sort of thing. It wasn't, amazingly, a raging case of misplaced nostalgia brought about by panic over finding myself a work-at-home mom living on a neighborly street in Asheville, North Carolina. I wasn't feeling the least bit dissatisfied with the choices I've made. Quite the opposite in fact. Today is my and Mike's wedding anniversary (can it be just four years?), and the very fact that it seems fitting to write about googling an old boyfriend on my wedding anniversary points up just how much the search told me about the wisdom and rightness of my choices in life.

The Friendship that Doesn't Change When You Do

First published on August 12, 2008

I took my dearest friend—Kali I'll call her and she knows why—to the airport this morning. And I started crying—again. Not just because "Carolina in My Mind" was playing on the radio. (That song makes me cry every time, dammit, and not because I live in North Carolina.)

What Do I Really Wish For?

First published on August 1, 2008

Jake and I spent the last week with his aunt and uncle and his three teenage cousins. Jake thinks teenagers are wonderful, especially 14-year-old Cousin Jeff who is as happy to throw a ball with him as to hold his hand, even if he draws the line at receiving a big mmmm-wah! kiss on the lips.

I enjoyed the teenagers as well. "Wow," I marveled. "Is it possible that one day I, too, will be able to hand the kids the keys to the minivan and send them to the movies while I have a nice dinner in a pub with my in-laws?" It is the stuff that the mother of a toddler's fantasies are made of.