I grew up in a family where we were measured by performance. In elementary school, we were given quarters for our A’s. We were given dessert if we finished all of our food on our plate. We were given shelves for all our trophies. I did not have a shelf. Sports was something I did not […]
Raising Good Guys and Bad Guys
by on May 16, 2019 Leave a Comment
By Shannon Williams | Instagram: shannon_scribbles The three people in my house under the age of five have been obsessed with the idea of good guys and bad guys lately. “I’m Batman!” Caden, my four-year-old son, proclaims as he runs around in his blanket cape. “And Robin!” the two-year-old replies, right behind him. “Let’s get […]
One Small Arrival
by on April 3, 2019 Leave a Comment
Denver March Pow Wow fell at the tail end of a week of sickness in our family. My oldest caught it first and then I spent our spring break in bed. Our three-year-old was just getting over her round when we arrived at the Pow Wow. After exploring the vendors and buying some remembrances for […]
Real Freedom is Not a Spa Experience
by on April 2, 2019 Leave a Comment
I wanted the quail to stay trapped. I was ten or eleven, and the quail had a broken wing. It was caught in our yard, where a low brick wall hemmed in the desert plants decorating the front of our house. I found the bird there one day, huddled next to a barrel cactus, and when […]
My Trigger? Passive Aggression
by on February 28, 2019 Leave a Comment
You know you’re not having a good parenting day when you urgently look up mental health articles at Psychology Today. In my case, I was googling strategies for dealing with passive aggression in kids—you know, the foot dragging, procrastination, selective hearing and snarky defensiveness that ensues when you ask kids to hang up their coat. […]
