The problems with Mothers Day are legion. 1. It’s not fair to the dads. Mother’s day is way, way, way bigger a deal than Father’s Day, and that’s just not okay. 2. Everybody wants to give mom gifts for one day, make these adorable crafts that you’re expected to keep for all time, and it…
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Playing Favorites
I can’t be the only parent who lives in dread of playing favorites. Especially of having a “favorite child.” The online “soundtrack” of parenting reflections has presented me more than once with the theory that you butt heads with the child who resembles you most. But I think this is only true for certain personality…
Read MoreFamily Game Night In the Wake of a Successful Writing Contest
We have a tradition of family game night in our house. Actually, “tradition” is a little strong. We made a commitment to devote Friday nights to this purpose, but our success rate is about 40-50%. (AKA “better than nothing!”) It’s supposed to be a no-technology night. But the kids have been begging for a “family…
Read MoreThe Babies I’ll Never Have
It is Saturday afternoon and I am folding baby clothes—new, soft, tiny baby clothes—and layering them lovingly into a gift box for one of our choir members. I had forgotten how much I love baby clothes. I love everything about babies. You know, I don’t even hate the diaper changes. Did I get tired of…
Read MoreA Good Day
Some days are just really good days. Or good evenings, anyway. And they don’t always start off on the most promising foot, either. Like when you glance down at the gas gauge on the way to carpool and go, “Oh, #$%#, I’m sitting on empty!” And then you have to go 1) to school, 2)…
Read MoreMental Space (or: Why I Had Such A Hard Summer)
We didn’t go on any field trips this year. This has been bothering me all summer. For the last several years, this has been the structure of our summers, and it’s something the kids look forward to. As the summer unfolded, I couldn’t figure out why we couldn’t make it work. There was really nothing…
Read MoreWhat A Weekend Away Does For A Marriage
We went to the Adirondacks this weekend—just the two of us. We knew it would be a good thing to take some concentrated time as a couple, but getting the bases covered was quite the logistical production. By the time we left I was not so much excited as I was just hoping and praying…
Read MoreTime To Breathe
I don’t take enough time off. Which is more than a bit ironic, given how much I twit my husband about checking email and working from home. The great thing about writing from home is that I can do it anywhere, any time, in the cracks of regular life. That’s also the worst thing about…
Read MoreHandling Change With Grace
One of the things I’ve always admired about my parents is how gracefully they have passed from one stage of life, of parenthood, to the next. They moved quietly and without drama from being parents of littles to parents of school kids and then teens, and then college kids, and then finally into the empty…
Read MoreOn Any Given Sunday….
On any given Sunday, you might be sitting in the front row at Mass, trying to look like a respectable family who actually has any business giving a presentation on faithful parenting later that afternoon, when your three-year-old flings himself to the floor and wails. And when asked what’s wrong, his response might be: “I’m…
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Kathleen M. Basi 