It’s happening. After spending months trapped with their loving (but admittedly, flawed) parents, the class of 2020 finally has a chance at glorious freedom. They are leaving for college! Well, most of them. And we hope for an entire semester, but we can’t say for sure. At first glance, it appears that some parents didn’t … Continue reading Growth in a School Year Like No Other
A moment becomes momentous when kids go to college. We feel it in our bones.
Jerry Seinfeld made the observation that there really is no such thing as “Fun for the whole family.” Either the kids are having fun, and the parents are miserable, or the parents are having fun, and the kids are miserable.
It’s not fair. It was a brutal, challenging winter, and now, it’s a chilly, erratic spring. Today’s warm air left me longing for more. A warmth infused with sunshine. I imagine a late morning in July when the birds have quieted down; everything is sun-soaked, and the green lawns and trees are lush. Remember that … Continue reading Uncertainty
“Whenever a man does a thoroughly stupid thing, it is always from the noblest motives.” ― Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Gray I love a parade, and every March, I can’t help but feel a certain pride in my Irish heritage. It is celebrated everywhere, and if you think about it, there is much to … Continue reading The Mixed Blessings of St. Patrick’s Day
“It probably takes many years of monastic practice to equal the spiritual growth generated by one sleepless night with a sick child.”
Independence has energy and promise. It’s beyond rebellion. It is a feeling of motion toward an unclear, but undeniable, adventure.
Once again, I listened as an anguished mom of four complained about the schedule of her 12-year-old son’s travel baseball team. The game was two hours away on a Sunday, which was also her 8-year-old daughter’s birthday. She dared not state her frustration in front of her son but quickly took advantage of my empathy. … Continue reading Travel Team Tirade & Tips
At this time of year, parents and young children may look tired, but teenagers tend to look sullen. I see the masks that teens wear, and I respect that. The life of a teenager is hard.
The truth is, nobody gets through middle school unscathed. Aware or not, the shame of exclusion is carried with us.
Kett Perspective 