Boredom liquefies the brain. We are not only social animals but working ones. Don’t let the stereotype of slack-jawed youth fill your head–today’s young ones are energetic and ready to do their part! Already at one and a half, Number…
Keep it Simple, Stupid
There’s this saying, “If it tastes good on its own, it’ll taste good on a pizza”. I haven’t had an ice cream pizza yet, or a Cheerios pizza, but I have my doubts. If you reduce pizza to its basic…
The Happy Children
The end of the day is tough for everyone. Child Harbat is usually over-stimulated and tired, Number Two has had a full day of preschool and has no idea how to read his body’s own cues that he is accelerating…
Couch Forts
Small children are like mice. They utilize at-hand materials to create little nests, cozy spots just big enough for a bed and a lookout. If left in the forest I think children would do better making shelter and staying dry…
Harvesting
Some say we’ve lost touch with the land. We whizz around in cars, staring at glowing rectangles all day, and the natural world is at best, a disturbance, at worst, invisible. Not so! Harvesting your own food is simple, rewarding,…
Mr. Noisy
Number Two child is working on his speaking skills. This involves yelling EVERYTHING AT MAXIMUM VOLUME. Requests for food are similar to that of a bull elephant trumpeting an immediate charge. Denials of questions about wanting more water/food/face-wiping are met…
Feeding a Unicorn
One of the things I’ve learned about parenting from my step-mother, who is a wonderful parent and longtime journalist about family issues, is how to let it go. What fights are worth fighting? Does every moment need to be a…
The Unbearable Cheapness of Toys
There is a limit, toy-makers. There is a limit past which you are cutting corners and leaving something which shouldn’t really exist. Take for example a mermaid doll. Sure, her makeup is smudged, the eyes distant and crossed, the plastic…
Sometimes They Surprise You
The weekend was a tiring march from one required task to the next: dishes, laundry, clean house for party to which I’m not invited and must hide with the children in the kitchen and bedrooms, smear food off the floor…
Posted in Parenting Tagged with: child harbat, number two, parenting, reading, runny nose, toddlers, vaccinations
Back to Writing
Oh lawdy, how good it feels to have a writing project again. My poor neglected blog, three days without an update, but I have been cranking out words on this new project: 12,000 and counting. The theme for this new…
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