Archive for the ‘hope for the future’ Category

Kittens


2013
01.07

Rose: Mom, when are you going to stop being allergic? (She doesn’t say to what, but this has been a recurring theme lately so I know she is thinking about cats.)
Me: Sweetie, I will never stop being allergic to cats, I have been allergic my whole life and you don’t usually grow out of that.
Rose: But what about kittens?
Me: You know those are just little cats, right?
Rose: Yes, but I LOVE THEM SO MUCH!
Me: Sorry, honey, I am never going to be able to live with a cat or a kitten. Maybe when you are a grown up you can get one.
Rose: But mom, I am going to still live with you. And grandma and grandpa and dad and the dogs.
Me: Ok, well, that sounds lovely.  But I can really never get a cat.
Rose: Oh, ok.  But I don’t want to get a job, I just want to live with you and take care of the dogs.
Me: Well, maybe you can take care of dogs for your job, like be a veterinarian or something.
Rose: Only if I can do it in our house.

I love these bedtime conversations.

Late Show


2012
09.06

So, I have been working 12+ hour days at work on a project the last couple of days, and have totally missed news, politics, etc. And so today while we were making dinner, Rose and I watched the First Lady’s speech at the DNC. And it was wonderful – I am not going to say anything about it that you haven’t already heard from the last two days of media.

But as I was watching it, I remember picking Rose up from school on the inauguration day four years ago – the kids in four-year-old kindergarten are released at like, 10am., and running home to watch President Obama being sworn in. That was seriously one of the most moving, historical moments I have been witness to.

And it struck me today as we were watching Michelle’s speech, that my daughter really will not ever remember a world where an African-American couldn’t be President of the United States.  And that is so special and wonderful.    Don’t get me wrong, I have major philosophical differences with the President.  But (as you can tell) I still get totally thrilled by this beautiful family that we have in the White House. I know there is a long way to go with race relations in America, but this has got to be a meaningful step we have taken.

President Obama (like Jackie Robinson and so many other groundbreaking individuals) has metaphorically gotten spit on a lot, and in ways that really make me mortified.  But he really has broken some meaningful ground.

Family


2012
04.12

Tonight Rose and I were talking, and having that conversation moms probably have with sweet eight-year-old kids everywhere…

Rose:  I am going to live with you even after I am a grown up.

Me: Well, you might want to get married or something and have kids.

Rose: I don’t know who my husband would be!

Me: You might change your mind when you are a little older.

Rose: I am going to have kids but live here with you.

Me: You can live here with me as long as you want.  And when you are a grown up and have kids, I will be those kids’ grandma.

Rose immediately breaks into hysterical giggles.  She thinks that me being a grandma is the funniest idea EVER.  And laughs for easily a minute straight before she says, “You are my mom.  And you’ll be my kids’ GRANDMA!” and immediately cracks up again.

When he was eight, Dillon told me I’d be going along with him to college.  That kind of sweetness doesn’t come up as often these days, so I’d better enjoy it while I can.  Though it is pretty funny to think about ever being a grandma.

It’s like riding a bike…


2012
03.24

My kids don’t know how to ride bikes without training wheels. We took the training wheels off two summers ago, but they’ve just never turned the proverbial corner and spent the time to figure out how to ride. We spent a couple of afternoons making good attempts last summer, but neither one of them got more than a house or two away without falling.

Cut to today: the kids down the block come over and ask D and Rose to ride to the park with them (and their dad). My kids – “Sure! Can you get our bikes out, Mom?” And I say sure, but quietly remind my kids that they need some practice as they haven’t been on bikes since last summer, and even then not very successfully.

So we get the bikes out, fill the tires, adjust the seats, put on helmets, etc.  And my kids REALLY want to do this.  So bad.  They are determined.  But there is no way they are going to learn to ride bikes well enough in a half hour to go to the park with their friends.

I mitigate their expectations: you have to learn to pedal, balance, steer, and brake well enough to get to the corner before I am even going to consider letting you go to the park.  And they both get to where they can do two of the things on the list, but not all four.  (Dillon had a spectacular wipeout where he rode almost directly into the fire hydrant.  I am pleased that no part of him wound up bloody after that one, just very, very muddy and grass-stained.)  So we opt to stay home and practice a bit more.  But they are really determined, and I think that having kids down the street that ride bikes everywhere is going to be the motivating factor.  They are going to figure this out this summer.  They got this.