FULL COLUMN: Edline is a lot like crack
…from yesterday’s Tampa Tribune. If you are a parent and want to enjoy good mental health, for as long as possible, stay away from online gradebooks. It starts out innocently enough – mom or dad wants to see Junior’s homework assignments and participation credits. Daughter’s first few As of the year are intoxicating; who cares if [...]
FULL COLUMN: “Take off that bra, you’re only eight.”
…From last week’s Creative Loafing . Children have always been curious about adult roles. When I was young, my sister and I often played a game called “Grown Up.” We would dress in our mother’s clothes, say the rosary, and use words like “disappointed.” We poured tea and pretended to be more mature than any [...]
FULL COLUMN: Carpe Dayum, my 11 year-old son’s first date leaves him more experienced than I was at 23.
…from last week’s Creative Loafing. This was an innocent date, the kind where everyone eats ice cream and no one yells, “No means no!” She asked him to a sporting event with her family. Wrap your head around that for a moment. I’m sure when my Nana fought against discrimination to work outside the [...]
FULL COLUMN: Then and now; adjusting to middle school
…from last week’s Creative Loafing. My sons have been in sixth grade for over two months. They left a small, private Jewish elementary school to attend a slightly larger public middle school located in eastern Hillsborough County, nestled between three churches and five liquor stores. Add to this culture shock the fact that we [...]
FULL COLUMN: Are you ready for some football?
Ladies, quit complaining and enjoy football season. I live with three boys, counting Husband, and every year, when our oppressive Florida heat downshifts into simply sweltering, they begin The Ritual. This annual event involves fantasy spreadsheets, sports radio and worrying about things called “stats.” It involves sitting on the couch with sperm-killing laptops. It involves [...]
FULL COLUMN: Spies like us
School has begun, usually my favorite time of year, yet my kids are handling it pretty well and I’m about ready to fall apart. During orientation, a student walked the halls with braided back hair and five tattoos. Husband insisted he was a parent. Like that’s good news? The whole idea of my kids moving [...]
FULL COLUMN: It takes a shtetl
Parents don’t have to live in fear of change or run away from risks. Even when it ends badly, it’s not necessarily the end. About four years ago, with my encouragement and support, Husband took a pay cut to help a friend build his business in Colorado Springs. The kids and I joined him and, [...]
Two days of freedom
Last week, Spring Break began for my children. Many people remarked that it seemed awfully late this year. “Have you and your kids been going crazy?” they asked. Crazy is such a relative term. Combine seasonal allergies with an impending holiday season that includes arguments over whether rice is Kosher for Passover and we’ve passed [...]
Middle school madness
“I’m not old enough to have kids in middle school.” I say this a lot lately, despite all evidence to the contrary. My arms jiggle more than they used to and my kids roll their eyes more than they used to, which indicates to me that we’re all getting older. There’s no way around it. [...]
My kids aren’t normal
I remember when it first hit me that my little boys weren’t like other kids. We were enjoying a picnic lunch with one of those Let’s Compare and Complain mommy groups I joined to get away from Oprah. With a healthy dose of fear and pride, I noticed my sons were the only toddlers listening [...]
Disproportionately blessed...
Catherine Durkin Robinson
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