• Created on 10/26/09 by AdinaL

It’s World Series time. Although I don’t follow baseball like I once did,* I love the game—or the idea of it, anyway—in all its iterations, from T-ball to empty lot pick-up games to the thrill of major league play. I remember a discussion I had not so long ago with Tim and Reeve: What is the single most important position on a baseball team? Impossible question to answer, of course, but we tried. Yes, pitchers are crucial and good fielding is necessary and heavy hitters important. But the unsung hero, we decided—as well as the toughest position to play—is... read more

• Created on 10/28/09 by AdinaL

Athena, 3; Etani, 8 months; Hesperus, 5 I understand why people raise their eyebrows at us for being pregnant with our fourth baby. The vast majority of Americans still only have two children but there is a small subset of the population creating such large families that one Women’s Health writer suggests the craze for more children stems from an addiction to being pregnant. She argues that women become pregnant because they like being treated like rock stars and being in the limelight and she dubs women like me with more than two children... read more

• Created on 10/29/09 by AdinaL

My daughter came home looking worried the other day after school. “What’s up?” I asked. “Some kids ran past me on the playground and yelled that I had evil eyebrows,” she said. “They said, ‘Evil eyebrows girl, you have evil eyebrows!’” My first instinct: justice. “Who were they?” I asked. “I don’t know,” she said. “They were older.” “You have beautiful eyebrows,” I said. “They’re not evil at all. Besides, eyebrows can’t be evil.” “I…know…” she said. But I could sense that thing knocking around inside her, that... read more

• Created on 10/29/09 by AdinaL

  See this broccoli? It's mine, all mine This is one of my family’s favorite games. I take a piece of raw or steamed broccoli and ask one of the children to watch it for me. “I really want this piece of broccoli,” I say. “It’s so perfect and delicious and I want to eat it up as soon as I drink this water. Could you keep it safe for me?” My child nods seriously and promises to watch over the broccoli. There is no way he will let anyone else near it, he avers. I turn away for my sip of water. “Oh no!” I cry, seeing that the... read more

• Created on 11/3/09 by AdinaL

Nathaniel’s last year in preschool was horrible. There’s no other way to say it. He’s in kindergarten now, and I had anxiety over the summer–would this be a horrible year, too? At the same time, I knew worrying wouldn’t help, and that “worry is using your imagination to create things you don’t want,” one of my favorite wise things Ashisha (Mothering’s editor-at-large and resident sage) told me. He loves kindergarten, and seems to have a new peace about not only school, but his place in the world. It wasn’t good for him to be one of the oldest kids in... read more

• Created on 11/8/09 by AdinaL

The Stillness Game: a script to help you relax your child down to sleep In a previous post, I discussed the art of creating a ‘stillness game’ with our young one to help him learn to relax down to sleep. While there are a plethora of CDs, books, and MP3s (I know, I’ve made one too) out there to help you, sometimes, it’s best for your child to hear your voice in helping them to relax down to sleep. I’ve found that the keys to relaxation with children are voice and music. There are a variety of methods out there from Transcendental Meditation... read more

• Created on 1/3/10 by AdinaL

By Jeremy Adam Smith The "Twenty-Five Ways for Dads to Change the World" series will resume next week; I usually take a break from blogging in December. Right at the moment I’m in Florida for my brother’s wedding, and I thought I'd share this little incident: In the courtyard of my future sister-in-law’s apartment complex, I met a neighbor I’ll call Judy. She told me my brother is wonderful, my future sister-in-law is wonderful; she told me about her work buying and selling condos; I mentioned that I have a son. Then she asked: “Where are you coming... read more

• Created on 1/6/10 by AdinaL

I recently came across this scan of a drawing Reeve did when he was four. . .  a reminder of how delightfully fresh a child’s view of the world can be: “Old Momma 5 with the sun shining over her back. And a mushroom in a mushroom field.” # Tip: Next time your child draws something, be sure to ask him or her to describe what’s happening in the drawing, and write it down somewhere on the page (or on the back). Include the date the drawing was made. # # # # Tags: child's view, drawing, number,... read more

• Created on 1/12/10 by AdinaL

Another in the then-four-year-old (now 20!) Reeve’s Number Series: “A 3 sitting in a chair waiting for its friend Alex (It went to get some water from the stream. . .)” # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # # #   Tags: alex, child's view, drawing, number, reeve This entry was posted on Wednesday, January 13th, 2010 at... read more

• Created on 2/9/10 by AdinaL

Off the topic of Valentine’s Day, my poor friend Kathy Pape received this anonymous note today. She lives in a place where it was 64 degrees and she was holding her son in her arms the whole time. Oh, the in-humanity! Subscribe to the Mothering.com Blogs Feed This entry was posted on Wednesday, February 10th, 2010 at 7:50 pm and is filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.     read more