I want to freeze time, because my twins just turned 12 and we all know what comes next. I have already parented a child through the year of 13 and I am not interested in doing it TIMES TWO with the twins and so I would like to speak to the manager or whomever is in charge of either pausing right here or skipping the next year entirely. 12 is a funny age. They are balanced right on the high wire - action figures in one hand, phones (old phones with no data) in the other. They will still cuddle with me on the couch. But they will also engage in (remarkably informed) political discussions, read books and dissect them over dinner, and be actually helpful when they are asked to help out. They can
To be clear, I am squarely a Gen Xer. But being a Gen Xer means I was raised on the music of the 1960s and 70s — and after the week I’ve had, one thought and one song keeps coming back: To everything there is a season. This season, this cold winter, has so far been about sadness and grief. I was supposed to have dinner yesterday with a few other couples - dear “work” friends that we were socializing with here and there outside of work, as paths crossed and lines blur between work and home and day and evening. We joked that the dinner was scheduled three months out because such is the life of busy working parents of young to middle school aged children. Ha ha, dinner in three months. Who will
This weekend gave us a taste of spring, even as we were undecorating our trees and packing away the winter decor. Will winter come at all this year? The kids in my house are yearning for a good snow day and I’ll even admit that I’d like one. Exactly one. One good snow, good for one good snowman and a few good sledding runs, one afternoon of hot chocolate and one morning of shoveling the driveway. After that, an early thaw and Second Spring can come and stay for a good long while. And because it’s January, it’s time to think about spring break, summer camps, and next school year - because living in the moment is not possible in 2020. We have to live in this moment and plan ahead for all the m
I was reminded during the Delaware Children’s Theatre’s sold-out run of Frozen Jr. (coming soon to Cab Calloway and HB du Pont MS) about Hygge. Pronounced "hoo-ga," this Danish concept cannot be translated to one single word but encompasses a feeling of cozy contentment and well-being through enjoying the simple things in life. Breaking news: Hygge is my word of the year. I’m 46 now and I love nothing more than a glass of wine and the cozy comfort of conversation on the couch with friends I’ve known for decades, or friends I feel like I’ve known for decades. I want to read books by the fire (winter) or on the screened porch (summer) or sit by a fire pit. I want to hear the laughter of my chi
