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Monthly Archives: August 2009

Monkeys for a Monkey

The boy has been asking for a pet pretty much since he learned to speak. It’s not going to happen. I’d be more than happy to get a cat, but my mother is deathly allergic and Adam himself gets the sneezies around them. I’m not a dog person. Not even a little bit. I could [...]

Declarations from the Boy

Tonight we have a guest blogger. Readers, I give you Doodles: i’m not yor sarvint. (Translation: I’m not your servant.)

The New Geography

Pie, to Jasmine: I can name three countries in America.Jasmine: Yeah?Pie: Yeah. Florida. New York. And, um, Afghanistan.

Interview with a Four Year Old

Me: What’s today?Pie: My birthday!Me: How old are you?Pie: Four.Me: That’s pretty old. What can you do when you’re four that you can’t do when you’re three.Pie: I can stay up late. Me: What else?Pie: I can play. Me: You couldn’t do that when you were three?Pie: I could! What couldn’t I do when I [...]

Interview with a Six Year Old

Me: So what’s today?Doodles: Sunday.Me: Any significance to it?Doodles: No.Me: Nothing at all special about today?Doodles: I got lots of presents.Me: How come?Doodles: Because it was my birthday.Me: Oh, so it was special?Doodles: Yeah.Me: How old are you?Doodles: Six!Me: That’s pretty old. How did you get to be six?Doodles: It’s my birthday today, so I [...]

The Girls Won Out

And It Begins…

At camp family night I was chatting with one of Doodles’s counselors. Me: He seems to be making friends, no?Counselor: Oh, yes. He does very well here.Me: I’ve heard a couple of names at home. I’m actually pleasantly surprised that he plays as much with the girls as the boys.C: Oh those girls adore him.Me: [...]

Run for Your Life

I announced to the kids on Monday morning, “Daddy’s going to be in London for a couple of days. It’s going to be just us.” Doodles replied, with eyes open wide, “You’re not going to be able to run!” I choose to believe that, when he said this, he meant, “Mom, I’m concerned for your [...]

Tattoo You

Pie: Why do you have a stamp on you?Me: It's not a stamp; it's called a tattoo. It doesn't come off like a stamp.Pie: Can I have a tattoo?Me: You have to be eighteen to get a tattoo. When you turn eighteen you can get one.Pie: When I turn eighteen, will you take me to [...]

The World Goes Round and Round

Growing up, my father played Quiz Questions at dinner with me and my sister, although the game quickly became known as “Quiz Questions Me First!” because that’s what we’d shout out as soon as he sat down. The questions would be current events or history or science or whatever, such as “Who discovered the theory [...]