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Pandemic Parenting: Back to School or Not?

Aug 12 2020

Last August we were deciding what school backpack to buy and whether or not to sign up for the school lunch program. This year we’re deciding whether or not to send our children back to school in the midst of a contagious virus. It feels surreal (word of the year right there). This isn’t a choice anybody imagined having to make. Though everyone is saying, “Whatever your decision, we support you, no judgment,” that’s not entirely true. People are judging. Though it’s not really about other people’s choices, but about justifying and feeling secure about our own. But here’s the thing. PANDEMIC. There is no security, and the uncertainty brings out the worst in some people. Imagine a single working mom who has no option for childcare and who would absolutely keep her kids home if she could. Then imagine she scrolls through her Facebook feed and sees the following comment: “If you’re sending your kids back to school, you better update your will.” What an awful thing to say. It’s dramatic and mean. An insensitive and ignorant comment like this compounds the guilt and distress she is already feeling. If you were sitting down with this mom over coffee masked[…]

Jul 07 2020

This “mask wearers versus non-mask wearers” situation is divisive. Like, aggressively divisive. I don’t consider myself to be the least bit aggressive, but even me, a kitten by all accounts, has her claws out. This pent up frustration is why I “went low” at the grocery store last week. I’m not beating myself up about it mind you. This issue has potential life or death implications. But not everyone sees it that way. Full disclosure—I DO see it that way. As the parent of a medically vulnerable child, I’m not screwing around. People who choose not to wear a mask or face shield in public piss me right off. So yes, I acted in an uncharacteristically immature and passive aggressive manner. But seriously. Seriously. The story… I was grocery shopping at Farm Boy, a local grocery store I frequent because it’s small, and their health and safety protocol makes me feel secure. Also, the staff all wear masks, unlike the unionized grocery stores. As well, I’ve found most of their patrons tend to mask up which makes me feel safer. So when I shopped there last week, I was disappointed to see so many people shopping bare faced. I hid my annoyance,[…]

Jun 29 2020

You might have the best of intentions, but you can be accidentally offensive or innocently insensitive. We’ve all done it. It’s what we do next, after the mistake or misstep, that shows who we really are. I saw this image on Instagram and wanted to share it. I traced it back to the original source—because we should always do that if we can. Giving credit where credit is due is worth a little sleuthing because creating beautiful pictures and thoughtful graphics takes work. I found the artist’s page and read what she wrote to accompany the graphic she created. I nodded in agreement with her sentiments about treating people with love and respect, and about checking our privilege and biases and just being better. Amen girl. *Posted with permission from @ARTBYBIANCAGA If I hadn’t looked for the original content, I wouldn’t have seen the author’s EDIT. In this simple addition to her post she demonstrated her commitment to listening and learning. Isn’t this what we’ve all be vowing to do? To listen and learn and change by accepting feedback with an open mind and a gracious heart? When we admit that we didn’t know what we didn’t know, we grow.[…]

Jun 21 2020

Dads are funny. At least they think they are. My husband believes he’s hysterical. The kids and I don’t have the heart to tell him otherwise. He usually butchers the punchline by mixing it up with the ending of a completely different joke or by losing the plot altogether. Or he laughs so hard at himself that he can’t even get to the end. And THAT my friends, is hilarious. Speaking of hilarious, here are some hilarious “dad jokes” for you to share this FATHER’S Day. Warning: The word ‘hilarious’ has been used loosely. Consider these groaners as a little payback for being subjected to awful dad jokes over the years. Not to mention being exposed to those hideous black socks and sandals. TWELVE COMPLETELY CORNY DAD JOKES: 1. What did the daddy buffalo say to his boy when he dropped him off at school? Bison. 2. How do you make your dad’s handkerchief dance? Put your boogie in it. 3. Mom: “How do I look?” Dad: “With your eyes.” 4. My dad walked into a bar with a chunk of asphalt under his arm and said, “I’ll have a drink and take one for the road.” 5. Dad:[…]

May 29 2020

I’m on my way out to buy ingredients for a full-on Christmas dinner. In May. And I need Christmasy cookies and eggnog if I can find it. I realize this is weird and probably impossible, but when you screw up royally and nearly ruin future Christmases, AGAIN, you do whatcha gotta do. *Updated… you won’t find Christmas desserts in May, so your husband will have to bake gingersnaps. They’ll taste awful because he’ll use buckwheat flour and half the sugar to make them healthier. Ew. You’ll eat one and fake fawn over it to make your daughter happy, but you’ll stifle a gag. We’re celebrating Christmas in May because of the penguin. Let me explain… We have a stuffed penguin named Quacky. He’s our family’s version of the “Elf on the Shelf.” I’ll spare you the ridiculous story. Let’s just say we misinterpreted the concept and made up our own version. This morning, Avery put on her Elf movie t-shirt, just because she loves it. This inspired her to search for her dad’s Christmas sweater. Upon digging through his sweater drawer she discovered Quacky, hiding in the back. Oh holy night. With a quivering chin she brought him to us and asked why[…]

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