Yearly Archives: 2009

What I Got From My Mom

On Mother’s Day, you’d think I’d be telling you what I got for my mom, not from my mom.  But I’ve always been a little selfish that way.  Despite realizing that it’s not all about me, sometimes I still think it is.

When the Parent Bloggers Network asked us what traits we received from our mothers, I got out my pencil and started writing.  Well, okay, honestly I didn’t.  Instead, I sat down to type, but that doesn’t have quite the same ring, does it?

A few gifts from my mother:

  • Compassion for the downtrodden
  • Compassion for the elderly
  • People skills: “Look them in the eye and say hello”
  • Tenacity
  • A deep love for the ocean
  • A hearty laugh
  • Bravery in new situations, even if it’s occasionally false bravado
  • Good posture
  • Table manners
  • “This is she,” not “This is her”
  • Skeptism
  • Authenticity
  • Love

Thanks, Mom.

Happy Mother’s Day!

This post was written for Parent Bloggers Network’s Blog Blast, sponsored this week by Johnson’s.

Should Kids Hit with Sticks?

At our house, we’re used to soccer, football, tennis, and even track.  We own enough cleats to open a store:  The Dirty Used-Cleats Store, I think we’d call it.  But this year, for the first time, one of our boys is trying something new.



He had to give up running track this year to give lacrosse a try, and he was a bit hesitant to do so.  He deemed the first few practices “okay.”  Then came the wettest, muddiest day ever.  It poured all day, and that afternoon the boys practiced right through it.  But that’s not all.  When my son came home that day, I asked him how practice went.  “Today was the BEST day,” he said.  “We got to HIT, with STICKS.”

And there, folks, you have it.  My son’s analysis of the best day of practice comes down to this:  hitting is awesome.
I’m not sure I have anything to add to that!