When I woke up this morning to a light coat of snow outlining the trees and roads, I was reminded of a simpler time in my life. A happier time, I suppose. I was remembering snow days, and I remember them fondly. Both my childhood and my children’s childhood. They were magical days full of endless possibilities whether the magic took place indoors or outdoors. Yes, it was a day to reflect because time seemed to stand still amid the …
Category: Raising Boys
While we may not be ready for our kids to head back to school just yet, my heart goes out to those who are either eagerly or anxiously anticipating the start of middle school. Those formidable years when you are not a kid anymore yet you are not quite an adult either. A bit early to be considered a tweener but oh-so anxious to enter the next phase of life. While middle school is arguably one of the most challenging …
This article appeared in last week’s Main Line Neighbors (West) weekly online newsletter. It is fun to write for such a large audience of my ‘neighbors!’ As always, enjoy! WHAT HAPPENED TO DECORUM?….ON THE MAIN LINE What ever happened to decorum? BY JACKIE (aka Scout) Hi Neighbor! What ever happened to decorum? You know that pesky word defined as “behavior in keeping with good taste and propriety.” Basically, manners and respect. In this instance, I am specifically referring to how we …
What’s up with the “cold call?” How has this decades-old term taken on new meaning as defined by today’s generation? Evidently the meaning, or, er, understanding, has changed ever-so-slightly from when cold calls were legit, a real phenomenon – still annoying, but expected and accepted. So, in the spirit of how to redefine the Cold Call for the current generation so it is understood and respected by all (or at least attempted), here we go… The confusion over exactly what …
No one said it would be easy. But no one said it would be this hard either. And no one could predict the length of time this formidable opponent would linger in our lives. Battling through these unprecedented times, I learned to cherish and embrace the Covid Containment time with my adult children. Yet here we are, a month shy of two full years of the Covid-19 Pandemic infiltrating our day-to-day existence in ways we did not anticipate. As a …
The discussion is not new. The observation is not revealing. Yet reflecting on the difference between boys and girls never ceases to fascinate me. Especially when these long-tested stereotypes played out in our driveway on Halloween. So, here is my Halloween Story of 2021, featuring The Difference Between Boys and Girls: The demographics in our neighborhood have changed since we moved in fourteen years ago. Typically on Halloween the kids Trick-or-Treating flood the streets, running from door to door to …
Letting go is never easy, and this time around it was going to be rough. I could hear the excitement in my son’s voice. It was the first time in an exceptionally long time – six months at least – that I heard this amount of energy from this stoic young man. It pained me and pleased me simultaneously. Such a mixed bag of emotions, not at all unfamiliar to me, but here I was grappling with them again. The …
The news flash arrived a few weeks ago. My son would be returning to his college campus for his senior year. After five and a half months of unexpected time at home, he will be gone. With the snap of a finger. Poof. Just like that. And unless you have been living under a rock, you realize there is much speculation about the next step for…almost everything. Which includes the status of colleges and the return of their students under …
Okay, Mothers, one of our favorite holidays is around the corner, and it will be one more holiday spent in isolation during quarantine. However, if you are fortunate like me, it will be the first time in several years when my offspring will be celebrating at home. Fantastic! And with that, Happy Mother’s Day to all! It is truly one of the two days all year when I take ‘a pass,’ meaning I excuse myself from typical stay-at-home mom duties …
Here is a story revolving around a soccer game. It is also a story that mentions my soccer playing son. However, it is in fact a story about neither soccer nor my son. It is a story about being in the wrong place at the right time. Or perhaps it is a story about being in the right place at the wrong time. Either way, as with many things in life, timing is everything, and the way the events fell …
