Hello, friends. Yesterday, my four-year-old was on the brink of tears because the picture he was drawing failed to live up to the picture in his head. I watched him and thought, "Oh, my darling. You too?" Don't get me wrong: I am very glad and grateful to live in a world filled with perfectionists. I wouldn't have the courage to drive a car or heat my house or, generally, live my life, if the … [Read more...]
A little hiccup
Hello friends, and apologies for the lack of blog post this week. We've undergone a small obstacle course of lesser ailments for the past week, which culminated in an impromptu urgent-care visit this morning (we thought the 4yo might get appendicitis for Christmas, but it's just gastro - oh joy!). Today is my second-last day of childcare before the holidays start, so if you'll excuse me, I'm going … [Read more...]
Negotiating with tradition
Hello friends! We celebrate Christmas in our house, and we're still figuring out our traditions. I come from a family whose only tradition is to not have any traditions (even the Christmas tree was hit-and-miss throughout my childhood, and I doubt we've ever eaten the same Christmas dinner twice), and my spouse, Nick, is from a family with very strong, sentimental rituals. He and I have talked … [Read more...]
Writing a book is not like having a baby
That's stating the obvious, isn't it? Yet for the last few weeks, I've noticed a lot of references to "labour" and "birth", to "midwives" and "newborns" - and these people aren't talking about tiny humans. This complaint may sound grumpy and petty; it's not intended that way. I'm not disparaging the thousands of hours of hard work that go into either enterprise. Having chosen to engage in both, … [Read more...]
Monsters of entitlement
Hello, friends. I've been reading a light, slick, funny book of cultural observation and enjoying it very much. And it's a - gasp! - parenting book. Doesn't that seem like a contradiction in terms? It's Bringing Up Bébé by Pamela Druckerman (in the UK, it's called French Children Don't Throw Food). It was published earlier this year, to a predictable squawk of gossip, defensiveness, and some … [Read more...]
A Bear in the House
Hello friends, and Happy Hallowe'en day! It's cool and raining here in Kingston, and we're all very grateful that Hurricane Sandy lost momentum before getting here. It's strange to think of so many communities still without power, still scrabbling for basic needs, while we here contemplate costumes and candy. It'll be a bittersweet Hallowe'en, for sure. I thought I'd show you what I'm up to … [Read more...]