Ages + Stages

I’m walking down the street with my daughters, aged six and nine. They’re laughing and singing and giggling and generally enjoying the heck out of life. “Your daughters are darling!” says a 50-ish woman passing by. “But just wait...

Both of my children are college dropouts. While this would have been devastating to me 10 years ago, I’ve not only made peace with it, I’ve also actively encouraged them to make the choices that feel right for them...

Picture this: my daughter's room is so crammed with stuff that I have to unearth her every morning, determining which lump is child and which a pile of clean clothing masquerading as another small human. Maybe not an original...

I have to start by saying, I LOVE giving gifts. I am notorious for giving belated birthday gifts in my family because I am always trying to find the *just right* present and sometimes that takes me until after...

The year after my daughter came into the world was one of the loneliest years of my life. Not only did I feel isolated from my normal activities, but I was shrouded in postpartum depression and anxiety that I...

It was another typical, stressful morning. The kids were playing legos instead of getting dressed. There was sword fighting with toothbrushes instead of brushing teeth. Eating breakfast somehow involved dance moves and a bowl of cereal ended up on...

Today I yelled at my daughter for not eating her cereal fast enough. Then we couldn't find matching socks. Then we couldn't find a hair tie. Then I remembered that none of us had brushed our teeth. I am...

There’s something about Portland autumns: the crispness in the air on a brisk morning, the golden tinge to the sunlight, the colors sweeping over the landscape in brassy reds and yellows. This season happens to be my favorite, and...

Many of us have mixed feelings about the start of this year, and a lot of us are on edge. Perhaps this year more than ever, it's important celebrate the start of a new adventure and the marking of...

There’s a man standing in line just ahead my family and me at Skyzone. He looks to be maybe mid-fifties, patiently waiting, and he doesn’t appear to be with any children. Why, I wonder, would anyone voluntarily come to...