There are many adults who don't know those things.
All three were teens when I wrote that; they're in their thirties now. |
photo by Monica Molinar
All three were teens when I wrote that; they're in their thirties now. |
It's an interesting twist. 🙂
Deborah in Illinois
Sandra in New Mexico
Both those former teens are grown now. Marty's oldest child turns seven today.
2024 note: Truer and deeper than facts that can be discovered anywhere, anytime. Looking back, I see its importance more clearly. |
Today: The day this is scheduled to go out, Keith and I will have three grandkids from 8:00 to 1:00, and then the other two at night. There are logistics involved. The oldest grandchild is being paid to come back and help at night. Drivers, food, activities, re-staging between... Same goals as in the 2003 story above—fun, peace, contentment. |
I think when the child leaves naturally and positively, for a good reason, and the parents were willing to have him stay longer, there are fewer regrets and frustrations than under other circumstances. When kids are small, the mom is constantly on call. When Holly was born I had two and five year old boys. I know what it's like to have three young children. I also know what it's like to have three teens driving. But when they're calmly and confidently grown, the mom can leave for a month and they'll still be okay.—Sandra Dodd
Interview, by Kim Houssenloge, of Feather and Nest
photo by Jihong Tang
Marty likes humor and history.
Holly's main reading is on the internet, but she likes name books, and other non-fiction and trivia. One thing she doesn't use the internet for is definitions and spellings. She likes my old full-size American Heritage Dictionary, and will sprint upstairs to look something up on the slightest excuse.
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"When things are handled matter-of-factly and the kids KNOW the parents love them and will be there for them, a lot of the air of danger and urgency just dissipate."It's way too late, but I wish I had written "can dissipate." For one thing, there's no guarantee. Also, if it happens, it's not casual magic.