College Boy

Sam, Chris, and Bucky

Seventeen short years ago, I reeked of spoiled milk. Our firstborn was a spitter-upper of epic proportions. We always advised friends and family to hold him facing outward, or they’d inevitably end up with formula stains down their backs. In the early days, his thighs were plump enough to rival any Thanksgiving turkey, and his […]

For Reals

Mary Claire

My 13-year-old daughter has a vernacular all her own. She “feels all the feels” and validates her experiences because they’re “for reals.” She punctuates her sentences with acronyms and wild hand gestures and dramatic facial expressions. When she trips on the sidewalk, she asks, “How do you walk?” That particular phrasing carries over into everything […]

In With the New

Snow

I didn’t send Christmas cards this year. I haven’t sent them in a few years. We took family pictures when we first arrived in Mississippi, and I still have 200 of them sitting in a fat photo envelope. We were all nearly three years younger then. The kids were shorter, my hair was longer and […]

The Perks of Having an Under-Protective Mother

Mary Claire and George

I think movie raters might be dyslexic. The PG-13 rating? At times, I think they really mean for it to be PG-31. In fact, I’m not sure the movie I saw last week should have been less than a PG-42. I wasn’t quite ready for it. Maybe when I’m 43… It was a good idea […]

Forging Good Humans

Sam Holding His Hand Up to the Camera

My friend, Logan, posted something on Facebook this past week that caught my eye. It was a newspaper article highlighting a quote from a judge who regularly deals with teens — namely, apathetic teens. This was his advice to them (as reported by Northland College Principal, John Tapene)… “Go home, mow the lawn, wash the […]

Birthday Girl

Mary Claire

Dear Mary Claire, Twelve years! It’s a bit much to wrap my brain around. You arrived on this earth twelve years ago — a beautiful bundle of pink to shake up our baby blue home. I was the only one who knew you were a girl. Dad didn’t want to know — he always preferred […]

Smarty Smart Pants

We’ve been waiting patiently — and then not-so-patiently — for George to be tested for the gifted and talented program at his Mississippi school. He’s never been a kid who loves school, but in Starkville, he’s been doubly miserable. “Everyone talks too much.” “We’re always in trouble because the whole class acts up.” “We lost […]

Girl Stuff

Mary Claire

“Girls become lovers who turn into Mothers. So Mothers, be good to your daughters, too.” ~ John Mayer She’s eleven. She’s growing into herself, unsettled in her own awkwardness, uncomfortable in her own skin. She’s traversing the middle school journey — the one fraught with mean girls, new experiences, beloved teachers, giggly girlfriends, and enough […]

Gus 2.0

Gus

It’s true. He’s reinvented himself. As Andi so eloquently pointed out, he’s like Gus 2.0 now. And she’s right. I was beyond worried about my seventh grade boy. Middle school can be tough. And Gus is anything but tough. He’s quiet, sensitive, easily brought to tears. He marches to the beat of his own drummer. […]

Ring the Bell

Sam and Chris in Rain Ponchos

We’re back-to-school shopping. It’s the Mississippi state tax holiday today and tomorrow, so along with the rest of the state, we’re stocking up. And we’ve got lots of extra money to spend this year. You know why? No Mississippi public school registration fees! (You can’t see the ear-to-ear smile that’s splitting my face right now, […]