On Friday, my older son was mean to another child during a parent breakfast. Thus, not only was I present but so was the other boy’s mother and many other parents. A good thing because we were there and could intervene. A bad thing because we were there and could intervene.
Two days earlier, […]

My colleague told me that another co-worker who recently gave birth will not be returning to work for a few more months. My colleague added that she thinks the new mom will wind up delaying even more and maybe not come back at all. “She looks so serene. She is clearly loving […]

Some professions thrive on perfection. I don’t want my brain surgeon saying, “Oops” and smiling sheepishly. I’d prefer my dry cleaner never to use the wrong chemical or leave the iron down too long. It’s excellent if the pharmacists doesn’t leave a message on my machine that starts with, “Umm, did you take any of […]

Even the most enlightened of us make mistakes. We all make mistakes…
In a sense, it’s not about what we do wrong as much as what we do next. (After she lost her temper and slapped her daughter) my friend first comforted her child by getting a cool cloth. Then she asked herself what could she […]

Mothering offers many opportunities to screw up.
In the last six months I have let my cell phone disrupt the class play, much to the chagrin of the entire cast and audience. I have repeatedly forgotten my child’s lunch, play dates, and library books whereabouts. We missed the opening day of baseball. Spaced out on […]

When you find yourself unable or unwilling to be totally in the present, when you are counting the seconds to bed time, when a paralyzed look of dread and angst takes over your face for the last two hours of the day, remind yourself, you’re not Buddha (although you do have Buddha nature within you). […]

Mantras, while beneficial, can’t change the basic makeup of the job. Mothering will always involve long hours, heavy physical work, and the type of worry that could bring down an elephant if put into a dart gun. At the same time, mantras can provide instant coping strategies to help us safely manage extreme feelings. Mantras […]

Mantras, while beneficial, can’t change the basic makeup of the job. Mothering will always involve long hours, heavy physical work, and the type of worry that could bring down an elephant if put into a dart gun. At the same time, mantras can provide instant coping strategies to help us safely manage extreme feelings. Mantras […]