• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Tim and I just put our boy on a plane back to Scotland, and I am feeling the ache. A huge hole in my gut and in our house.As I was walking back to the office, though, I got hit by a big surprising wave of perspective: But, wait. Reeve is independent, on his own now, and . . . potty-trained! And he falls asleep at night by himself! He plays well with others, and when he eats spaghetti, he no longer tosses the noodles onto his head but uses silverware and puts the stuff right into his mouth! He (often) says please and thank you and doesn’t complain about homework or throw... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

When it comes to opera, I’m basically a cretin. And right now, a very proud cretin. Reeve’s in the Royal Scottish Academy of Music and Drama’s production of Sergei Prokofiev’s “Love of Three Oranges,” which opened last night. He called after the show, giddy with the excitement of community, collaboration, and a show well done. He sent photos, and my heart swelled. So forgive me for getting a little braggy here about my boy’s part in a realm I know little about. It’s one of those things we cretin moms do best. . . # Photo courtesy of RSAMD.... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Inspiring news: Researchers have documented what they call an Obama effect, showing that a performance gap between African-Americans and whites on a 20-question test administered before Mr. Obama’s nomination all but disappeared when the exam was administered after his acceptance speech and again after the presidential election. The inspiring role model that Mr. Obama projected helped blacks overcome anxieties about racial stereotypes that had been shown, in earlier research, to lower the test-taking proficiency of African-Americans, the researchers conclude in... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Mothering reports on an important new study: The best chance of forming a long lasting relationship with an unmarried father and building the foundations for a stable family life are the critical months of pregnancy, says new research from the University of Maryland. Marriage itself is not a guarantee, the study adds. "Unmarried dads are less likely to drift away if they are involved with their partner during this vital period when a family can begin to bond," says University of Maryland human development professor Natasha J. Cabrera, the principal investigator... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Oh, my. Made it through the messy rush of getting the March-April issue to the printer two weeks ago Friday, then got a call from Reeve Saturday—saying he’d just finished the last of his opera performances and had a high fever and what should he do? Thus began a week of anxious phone calls and Skype sessions. Stomach flu. Fever. Diarrhea. Anxiety. Difficulty breathing. Sleeplessness. (On both sides of the ocean.) And the awareness (also on both sides of the ocean) that over-the-phone mothering is a poor substitute for the real thing. Alone in his... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

1. Greater Good (the magazine where I work as senior editor) has been nominated for another Independent Press Award in the category of "Best Social/Cultural Coverage." The new issue of Greater Good tackles the question, Why do we make art? You can read most of the essays online. 2. There is now a Wikipedia page about me. The book release party for my book The Daddy Shift will happen on Saturday, June 6, 7 pm, at Cover to Cover books on Castro St. in San Francisco. On Sunday, June 14 at 5 pm, I'll read at an event for the 'zine Rad Dad. The reading will be held at... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

Last month, during the full moon, I got a call from a very emotional Reeve. Exhausted, sad, homesick, frustrated with his performance at school. Not sure what to do with himself during the upcoming three-week break between school terms. (He’d arranged to spend several days with two of his classmates at one of their homes in England, but didn’t know about the remaining two weeks.) It was late, and I was still at work, trying to finish things up so I could go home, and I was emotional myself—aching for him but feeling that he really just needed to stop... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

On April 3, the Iowa Supreme Court ruled that the state's same-sex marriage ban violates the constitutional rights of gay and lesbian couples. Just four days later, Vermont's legislature voted to legalize same-sex marriages. Now it looks as though Maine and New Hampshire will join them. Opponents have been predicting that the sky will fall. Chuck Hurley of the Iowa Family Policy Center, for example, claims that heterosexual marriage is the "seabed and cradle of civilization," and that same-sex marriage "is a battle of good versus evil, truth versus lies." I'm not... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

I’ve found myself complaining a lot this year about how “kids today” don’t seem to know how to write email—let alone old-fashioned pen- or typewriter-to paper letters—but seem to communicate using instant messenger-type programs or social networking sites like Facebook or MySpace. With Reeve in Scotland, this has come especially clear to me: he just won’t write—email messages or letters. At least not to Tim and me. But now I may be changing my tune. The last few days, I’ve had several occasions where I wasn’t able to talk to Reeve via Skype or on the phone,... read more

• Last updated 4/7/13 by AdinaL

In May, I was told that I would be losing my beloved job at Greater Good magazine. There was no animosity; the UC Berkeley Greater Good Science Center simply ran out of money for my position. In losing my job, the very first thing I worried about was health care coverage for my son. That first night, I could not sleep. Instead, I played nightmare scenarios in my head of Liko getting sick or injured, and us not being able to pay for the care he needed. But that morning, I remembered something I had forgotten: Our city, San Francisco, offers a public health care... read more