My social media feeds are full of little birds leaving the nest and setting in at colleges near and far (even the nearest must seem far when it’s your baby) and it’s making me think back to the college days and college nights - and mostly, the college mornings. We went to a big party for a friend’s big birthday last night and this morning the texts were flying about who said what, did what, drank what, spilled what. It made me so nostalgic for those mornings that you’d lie on the bed in your dorm room or college apartment living room and just talk it over. The laughing face emoji is not the same as the sound of real laughter; I hope that the college kids aren’t waking up and laying in their
So what’s left today that hasn’t been said? After the moms and the leaders who’ve inspired and pled Well, let me see if I can set the scene: Try being a teen in 2019 Some generations practiced for nuclear attack My generation wears a bulletproof backpack Both hiding under desks, but it isn’t the same Our shootings happen daily, your bombs never came Try being a teen in 2019 Each new shooting, each new killer gets their headlines While students are mourned with teddy bear shrines “How’d he do it? Why’d he do it?” questions endlessly asked Then you turn off the TV and you have to go back to class Try being a teen in 2019 You try paying attention You wonder who has a gun Plan which way you woul
We’ve all heard that parenting is a marathon, not a sprint. This just in: it’s both. It’s a sprint marathon uphill through fire and pitfalls and ROUS-es and you have to start the race on no sleep and questionable nutrition, with absolutely no training and only the guidance of your local facebook parents group for advice. On its best days, it is exhausting. On it’s worst days - and no matter how curated your instagram feed, everyone knows you have bad days too - it fails words. So how do you do it? You find your village. You love on other people’s kids and hope that on the days that you struggle the most, someone from the village is there to love on yours. You accept help graciously and grate
You know how scouts earn badges to show the world they’ve achieved a certain level? New scouts have the simple ones - but they get more complex over time and by the time you achieve Eagle Scout or get the GS Gold Award, you are doing some pretty sophisticated stuff. It’s the same with parenting. The Diaper Blow Out Badge is a simple achievement, awarded to almost every participant; the Diaper Blow Out on an Airplane is next level. Here are a few others: Scary World Badge: Earned by allowing child to go to restroom in public place like restaurant. LEVEL UP: allow child to attend sporting event or concert unaccompanied. Superhuman Badge: Arrive on time and appropriately dressed to important fa
