Filed under: Children, Motherhood, School, Uncategorized | Tags: Children, fun, Motherhood, School
January, 2008
My seven year old son and I are driving to school a few days after the holiday break ended. He casually mentions, “I can’t wait for school to end.”
Why, I asked?
“Cuz I am going to party, party, party.”
I sat in mute silence. Am I in trouble or what when he is a teen?
I was awoken in the middle of the night by my young son. The first night he called me to tell me his bed was mysteriously wet. I said,”you wet the bed.” He replied, “No, I didn’t”. I suddenly realized that if a young boy does not think he if of an age to do such a thing, fact will not win especially at 3:00 a.m. So, I said “fine, let’s just change it.” He fell asleep, I laughed to myself and everyone went back to sleep.
I often think of motherhood as an adventure, a new way to travel through life. I am an older mom and never thought I would acquiesce to pure fiction as fact, but then I never ran into three year old logic on a regular basis way back then.
Last night, he woke me again. This time because he was scared. I laid down beside him until I felt him slip quietly back to sleep. I don’t mind these nightime moments. I know he will soon no longer need me and these peaceful moments in the night will fade away. I don’t miss the terrible exhaustion of babyhood, but I do miss the soft baby quietly falling asleep next to me. It felt so right and still does. In this world, where I often feel awkward and out of place, I recall those moments of pure clarity, pure happiness, pure purpose.
The New York Times just reported that the Vatican is now offering airline trips for religious pilgrimages. Does anyone else find this too wierd? I don’t know about you, but if I suddenly felt called to visit Lourdes, I think I would grab my St. Christopher medal and book my ticket on the airline with the cheapest flights and best arrival times. I wouldn’t call the Vatican. They may have expertise in lifting up souls, but not in the physics of uplift. This is a bit of stretch don’t you think? Is it the hubris of an ancient faith or will the experience really be more sacred under the guidance of the divine right of the Pope? Does the flight take wing on a prayer? Are priests on board for the more earthly act of confession? I hope so. Airlines usually only offer passengers a religious experience under severe weather conditions or engine malfunctions. Surely, the Holy See can do better than that.
Still, years of kneeling on a pew taught me that miracles do happen. I can’t forsake years of religious training. Maybe, this new expansion effort on the part of the Vatican will result in a boost in service from competing airlines. There is room for improvement and inspiration may need to come from Above and not from Virgin Airlines. As we take to the heavens, we could really use some sacred space. More legroom, anyone?
Filed under: Children, Motherhood, Parenting, School, Teaching, Uncategorized
I often wonder how I can prepare my kids for the scary land of public school. I have only dim memories of those days when the playgrounds were overwhelmingly huge and the teachers were near god-like in my eyes. Why didn’t I take notes? I worry. No, not about the classroom, about the playground. I want to help my kids navigate the labyrinth of mean kids, school bullies and gossiping friends. Remember dodge ball. It was and is actually allowed. Ugh. I want them to find those friends who are kind and gentle and realize the teachers are mere mortals to be both respected and questioned. How can I help them enjoy these years without being overbearing or interfering. I want them to dream and play and somehow realize this is the only time in their lives when they can swing as high as they want and land safely on the ground.
Filed under: Uncategorized
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