Fast times and wild living with (the former) Baby Whozit…
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on May 5th, 2014
I don’t know how the kids are doing spring fever wise, but I know at least one grown-up who is over this year. That would be me. It’s not that the year hasn’t been a good one. It has! It’s just that at this point in the game, things are taking on a valedictory tone […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Apr 29th, 2014
As I’ve mentioned a few (hundred) times, we’re a bit over-booked at present. As a result, there’s not a lot of free time in our household. Most days feel like a sprint. Pick up Simon from school, race home, race to get dinner or half dinner down his gullet, race to soccer, race to finish […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Apr 22nd, 2014
Skip: You guys. You lollygag the ball around the infield. You lollygag your way down to first. You lollygag in and out of the dugout. You know what that makes you? Larry! Larry: Lollygaggers! Skip: Lollygaggers. (Bull Durham) Having now spent two years listening to parents encourage, admonish, and coach their kids from the sidelines, […]
Posted in First Grader, Friends, Jessica on Apr 16th, 2014
How was last night’s Passover different from all other Passovers (of recent vintage, that is)? Easy. Last night was the seder in which we mostly ditched the kids’ haggadahs; left the plastic frogs, rubber bugs, band-aid boils, and pom-pom hail in an upstairs storage bin; and kicked it old style. It was glorious. Well, Matt […]
Posted in First Grader, Friends, Jessica, Uncategorized on Apr 11th, 2014
This week I began to teach Simon an important life lesson: When to deploy vagueness or the white lie in conversation. The need arose when one of Simon’s friends, Griffen, complimented him on a play-date. “Simon, you’re my best friend!” Griffen happily declared. “You are in my top 3,” Simon replied, which I suspect was […]
Posted in First Grader, Friends, Jessica on Apr 6th, 2014
It’s been ages since I’ve posted a recent picture of Simon. This one isn’t the greatest—I’ll get some better ones up shortly—but it’s sweet. I like to call it “Future USTA Mixed Doubles Champions”. That’s Simon with his bestie, Caroline, of course. The pair played something called “Canadian Singles” in which one player plays against […]
Posted in First Grader, Friends, Jessica on Mar 27th, 2014
Sometimes I am amazed by young children’s capacity for empathy and kindness. Very happily, I’ve had three occasions in the last week to feel as though children were setting an example for everyone else to follow. The first incident happened at the preschool. There is a boy in one of the classes, I’ll call him […]
If you had asked me back in December what the biggest risk of having Simon play soccer and tennis with older kids would be, my answer would have focused on physical risk. What if all the older kids are better than Simon? What if he gets crushed on the soccer pitch? My mom, on the […]
Posted in Jessica on Mar 11th, 2014
Do you miss your middle school days? Yeah, neither do I, and Monday was a great reminder of why. Around the time of the last presidential election, my running group suffered a schism. There were political dynamics, religious dynamics, and store politics involved, and while I never exchanged harsh words with anyone, I definitely began […]
Posted in First Grader, Jessica on Mar 7th, 2014
At last night’s soccer practice, Simon made me about as proud of him as I’ve ever been. On Thursdays he has a non-team, extra practice that focuses on footwork and agility. That class runs from 5:30 to 6:30, after which we sometimes stick around to watch the adult leagues play. Our friend Keith plays in […]