Category Archives: parents

Jun16

on father’s day.

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“my daughter said, ‘why are you yelling at us?’ and i said, ‘i’m trying to discipline you!’

and then she looked up at me with her tear-stained eyes and said,

‘this is how you teach children, by making them cry.’

and it was such a clenching reminder —

she won not only the argument, but she won life with that statement.

i just burst out laughing, and i think they were so surprised that i burst out laughing, that they did too.”

-stephen colbert

 

—

image credit: eric carle, illustration from ‘mister seahorse’, penguin random house books – 2004

Mar6

party babies.

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when a baby goes rogue looking for cracker crumbs in our classroom

at a class shower for my teaching partner’s soon to arrive first baby

roaming baby’s mom said not to worry,

she is just building up her immunity. 

clearly not her first child.

 

—

“babies are such a nice way to start people.”
― don herold

Jan25

b.r.

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why is it that my children were shocked

when i told them that i was born ‘before ranch’ (b.r.)?

shock and awe that i was alive when

cap’n crunch, doritos, $100,00 bars, pop tarts, ding dongs, cool whip, count chocula, and more

came to be

back in the day when food fell into the 

quick, easy, greasy, crunchy, sweet, and fun category

and lived to tell.

 

—

“my mouth doesn’t want to be quiet.”

-greta, age 4

 

Aug4

wilding.

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 back in time on a summer’s day

when your parents thought

you and your friends of all ages

were just pedaling around the block for hours

but in that time you really

explored abandoned houses and those still under construction

built your own underground fort

jumped in the mud to see if it was quicksand

left your socks behind

met a new kid

balanced on a a board going over the water to get to the other side

found a golf ball

explored the gravel pit

rolled down a hill backwards

shared snacks that fell in the dirt

had the best day ever

every single day.

—

“keep your children wild, don’t make them grow up too fast.”

– brooke hampton

Dec16

parenthood.

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advice from the kinder to the parents of a classmate’

about how to take care of their new baby.

one so sweet

one filled with adventure 

all the others equally from the heart

everyone has their own unique way of approaching parenthood.

“folks, i don’t trust children. they’re here to replace us.”

  • stephen colbert
May28

keep the heart touchable.

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doing virtual early childhood parent-teacher conferences online

did not feel natural

but i give parents so much credit

some went to elaborate lengths

to find a space and time

where their child wouldn’t find them

so we could openly talk

and share stories

about how their child

touched our hearts this year

we talked to parents

in a closet, in a basement, up in an attic room,

and those who sent their child off on an errand

some waited until their child was asleep at night

but one thing was the same

this was a wonderful group of supportive, think-on-their-feet parents

who kept our connection with their children going

even from a distance

as we all navigated our way through this uncharted territory

and we were so lucky to have them as our teaching and learning partners this year.

 

—

“in a world where the great technologies enable us to record, replay, cut and paste, zoom in, and delete –

listening is the crucial commitment to keep the heart touchable.”

-mark nepo

 

 

 

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photo credit: bored panda

Jan27

out of stone.

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“i believe that one defines oneself by reinvention.

to not be like your parents.

to not be like your friends.

to be yourself.

to cut yourself out of stone.’

-henry rollins

 

 

 

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credits: Chad Knight digital sculpture, right brained, wild child

Jun15

The poet is a madman lost in adventure. – Paul Verlaine

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in memory of my father, a funny and gentle man

who was about as far as you could get from a bad ass.

but instead,

he was just my dad

who was a busy madman in the ad world during the week.

but

who i watched this movie with,

many times.

along with every other

wwll, madcap comedy, western, and crime caper,

on saturday afternoons.

in our family room,

with sandwiches, and burnt popcorn and lemonade.

thanks for the gifts

of shared time,

a boundless imagination,

and a love of the magic of the movies.

—

For me, the cinema is not a slice of life, but a piece of cake.
Alfred Hitchcock