You Never Forget How to Ride a Bike

That saying isn’t true. I am here to tell you that you can forget how to ride a bike. I remember being a preteen, laughing at my mom as she wobbled unsteadily on my 10-speed in our rock-covered driveway, unsure how to balance herself anymore. Not even minutes earlier, she was wondering aloud, “How hard can it be?… [Read more]

We’re All Good at Something

“Do you play basketball a lot at school?”, I asked Jedi.

“Yeah, but I have to use the funnel basket, because I’m not very good.”, he replied.

“I guess we won’t be signing you up for basketball any time soon then, huh?”

“No, but what about baseball? Wait, is that ball hard?”

“Yes, the ball is hard.”

“No baseball, then.… [Read more]

Bursts

Jedi is growing in leaps. If his rising stature didn’t make this blatantly obvious, it’s his attitude. He has picked up all sorts of new phrases since going to school. For every question I ask him anymore, I am sure to be met with a “duh!” or “you already know the answer, so I’m not telling you!” or he just ignores me.… [Read more]

Infinite Wisdom, Or Something

I’ve been a mother for over 7 years now. In all honesty, most days I still don’t know what the hell I’m doing. I have learned a few things, though.… [Read more]

If you tidy up one room, the others just get messier
Keeping your house clean for longer than 10 minutes is a lesson in futility
Hearing “I love you” from your child never gets old
Nothing ever goes as planned
Car rides are no longer relaxing; they are stressful and possibly reek of vomit
No toy is ever as fun as the box it came in
Your kid will inevitably roll his eyes at the grand excursion you’re excited to take as a family
Mothers do have superpowers, such as noise-tuner-outer and clairvoyance
It’s amazing how fast siblings laughing together can turn to tears
Your toes, they will be kept upon
Accept help: whether from your kids, family, or friends
It’s fun to splash in puddles, it’s even more fun to splash others
There is bound to be someone out there who thinks you’re parenting wrong
If your kids are quiet, check on them
You may wish your kids to be older when they’re babies, only to wish they were babies again when they’re older
What you used to find annoying in other people’s children, you may now find adorable in yours
No two kids, even when related, are alike
Potty-training sucks
Kids like to be pantsless, especially when company’s coming over
There are good days and there are bad days: the good days are pretty good, the bad days are really bad
Contrary to what your younger self thought, “Because I said so” is, in fact, a suitable response
Just when you think you have it all figured out, you realize you still have no clue

A Lesson in Sharing

4 o’clock in the afternoon, a good time for a snack. I look through our cabinets and refrigerator to settle on chips and salsa. I pop open the top of the jar and sigh heavenly at its chunky ingredients. When I hear Abby’s footsteps toddling in, the crinkle of the bag must have given me away.… [Read more]