Motherwise Cracks

Why is it that when I am in the middle of a real serious project, the kids find it the perfect time to spill their guts? Just two hours ago I asked how this was, how that was, what happened here and there and got – zilch. No, actually I got some attitude, like I [...]

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Good News – the latest 5-week report card grade. Nothing below an 80 and all positive comments from the high school teachers. Bad News – the little note attached regarding the lost textbook that will cost me $65 to replace. Correction – it will cost my son to replace. How can you take a class [...]

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My niece, who lives close by and is more like my daughters’ sister than a cousin, was over last night. We had Jello and the conversation turned to Jello Jigglers and then, how you can make them with vodka. I mentioned that I had a friend in college who did this all the time. My [...]

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My son and his friend are perennial experts – at everything. Sports and music seem to carry the most prowess with them. They are comical when they lecture me about who sang what song in the 70s or 80s. When I was singing some Jefferson Airplane, they stopped and said – “How do you know [...]

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I handed my cell phone to my son’s friend so he could call home. He handed it back to me and asked someone else to use their phone. I asked what the matter was and he replied, “I’m not used to such a basic model.” Like it makes a difference? (I am a basic model [...]

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We have it. It drives the male-folk in my family crazy. My daughter and I have an instinctive ability to run a car on near-empty and not run out of gas. This morning we “guestimated” that her slightly below 1/4 full tank would get her to her summer class with ease. No maps or mathematical [...]

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Here in Buffalo Sabres country, mothers might be surprised that our young sports fans can memorize facts and stats with speed and accuracy. Surprised because this same child doesn’t score big on his report card and fans on lots of his tests. The good news is that we can confirm what we thought all along [...]

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Sometimes nostalgia can catch you off guard. My son, whose strong suit isn’t thinking ahead, taped his fingers to play the conga drums at church this Sunday. Trouble was, he hadn’t put his sneakers on first. His long untied laces slapping the floor as we hustled to the car, he asked if I would tie [...]

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