Moms In the City Archive

Moms in the City is my monthly column that has been published in the Portsmouth Herald since the summer of 2008. Collected below is the archive of columns dating back from April 2011.  Enjoy!

How busy is too busy for kids? - 4/18/2011
A few weeks back I was cheering away in the bleachers at Sophie's basketball game. The seats were filled with parents taking the moment while their child was occupied, checking their e-mail, talking with friends while keeping an eye on the game.

These Times, They Are a changin' - 9/27/2010
I have not stopped speaking for seven years. From the moment my oldest child Sophie was born, I do not think that I have stopped cooing, cajoling or explaining.

The Fun Never Ends - 8/16/2010
I am new to New England and the fickle pickle ways of Mother Nature. Apparently summer is not guaranteed, even though the calendar and the tilt of the sun and position of the Earth would usually suggest otherwise.

Bike Mishap - 6/28/2010
It finally happened. I have been waiting for this from the moment I began to understand that Sophie is a fearless and physically adept kid. I have waited for the moment that I would have to take her to the emergency room for some sort of break or deep wound.

A Magic Number - 5/10/2010
When I was a kid I thought the best part of the Saturday morning cartoon extravaganza was School House Rock. School House Rock was a 1970's educational cartoon series that was sandwiched between "Scooby Doo" and "Hong Kong Fooey."

Bad Mom Gets the Pink Slip - 11/9/2009
Too often I play the futile and soul-sucking game of calling myself the worst mother. I do it in my head in this pointless loop of personal score-keeping, telling myself that I am not being good enough.

Speak Up For Yourself - 10/12/2009
Sophie and I were faced with the problem about how to deal with an aggressive classmate at school. This information came tumbling out as she sat secure in the back seat, while my mom and I were driving to get shoes for her.

Parenthood Mantras - 9/14/2009
It started out as a simple trip with Sophie and Katie to the post office. I had recently made a small-town, fairydust-sprinkled trip to mail birthday invitations.

Happily Ever After - 8/10/2009
This summer we all went to a fantastic, weekend-long wedding celebration. It was the kind of soul-soaring fun that included dancing until midnight, laughing with lifelong friends and crying happy, love-induced tears.

Just a Few Growing Pains - 7/13/2009
When did I begin to cross this line of being a grown-up? I have all the hallmarks of growing up, college degree, full resume, a few broken hearts, a mortgage, marriage and children.

The Age of Embarrassment - 6/8/2009
When I was a kid I spent fantastic summer afternoons at Saxon Woods pool, open to residents of Westchester County in New York. One day I was there with my mom and my friend Josie. We were walking back from the snack bar, following my mother like ducklings, sucking on long sticks of watermelon Jolly Ranchers.

Sophie gives me one of those great, spontaneous, soul-quenching hugs this morning. She looks up at me and says blissfully, "Mmmmm, Mamma, you smell like spaghetti."

Get to Know Your Kids As People - 4/13/2009
My favorite moment right now is when the girls are in the back yard, and I can peacefully observe them absorbed in a fantasy of cooking, mud and cheap plastic toys.

Can't We All Just Get Along? - 3/9/2009
I have a great friend who keeps me in check. We play a game together called, "Who's the Better Mommy?" We play this sarcastic game, backed by years of friendship, love and support.

A World of Influences - 2/9/2009
Since the girls have been with me pretty much full time since birth, I've been able to exert a fair amount of control over what they learn about the world around them. I mean the world in a very general sense of the grand scale of what is out there.

Boot Camp for Momma - 1/12/2009
Jumping into motherhood head-on I'll never forget when my husband and I tenderly and nervously secured Sophie into her car seat as we left the hospital after she was born. I couldn't believe they actually let us leave with her. Didn't they know that I had never done this before?

What, Me Not Worry? - 12/8/2008
When Sophie was first born, it was around the time the Department of Homeland Security (an ominous Orwellian title, if I've ever heard one) was issuing its daily color coded threat levels and warning all Americans to get duct tape and plastic in case of a bio-terror event.

Mostly Sunny, with a Chance of Throw-Up - 11/3/2008
I woke to a sun-drenched day kissed with a promise of crispness. The fridge was well-stocked and ready to give me plentiful snacks and I was all set to take the girls for a marathon day at the beach, playground, wherever they wanted to go.

Keeping Perspective - 10/13/2008
I find comfort in the universal experiences that mothers share whether they live in a big city or on acres of land or in Spain. We are all so similar.

Big Wheel Keep on Turning - 9/1/2008
I had an Italian teacher in junior high who could not control our class. We would talk over her, get up from our chairs whenever we felt like it, and giggle conspiratorially at the chaos we created.

How Long Does It Take To Be a Mom? - 8/4/2008
I read one too many celebrity magazines about Hollywood moms and their stories of "Motherhood is the most amazing gift," or "I love my new baby boy, he's the coolest guy on the planet!"

Be Wary of Passing Judgement - 7/21/2008
I wish I had more faith. Maybe if I really had faith in God or Oprah or something bigger than me, I would be able to turn to them for help or advice.

Free to Be You and Me - 6/2/2008
I was ready to call up the gypsy truck for the girls on Tuesday, after I had asked Sophie to get naked for a bath about 40 times, and had given my 2½-year-old a time out for barking at me to "get me some cheese right now!"

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