In Defense of Anxious Mothers

So, are you one of the moms who read everything you could about bringing up your baby while you were pregnant and then almost killed yourself trying to raise your child by the book? Did you agonize over the first tooth, tummy time, pincer action, potty training ...the list goes on? I remember having nightmares about why Peaches was not interested in all the stacking toys I was pushing at her when all the books agreed that she should be stacking like a pro. Well, turns out you need not have. A bunch of books is bashing all those theories and lauding what can perhaps be referred to as "sloppy parenting". Date nights as an escape from child driven days are pathetic, you should continue to be the center of your universe swirling in a maelstrom of passion while the kids get along as best as they can. Yes, it's time to escape the madness and pressure of trying to be a perfect mom but hey, why have a child if it is such a bother? I wonder how willing these cool parents would be if the caregivers they pay to do their child rearing were as cavalier in their approach.

Peaches Graduates!

Peaches graduated from preschool last week. They had the most charming ceremony with all the little grads in the cutest red robes. Mommy could not have been prouder if it was Harvard! The thought of my baby already graduating something brought a lump to my throat but I had no time to wallow in sentiment as a crisis descended. Popcorn, feeling a shade left out, decided to attend in her shiny, hot pink, Minnie Mouse outfit. When this was vetoed ,she tried to negotiate her way to a tiara with a veil, and finally had to be content by going in pink from head to toe complete with Aurora necklace. Peaches was adorable and so eager to perform all the songs with her friends. I am so proud of her!

Summer Fun

Peaches, Popcorn and I went to the National Building Museum in Washington D.C. this Tuesday. Parents, if you are visiting here this summer, you must check it out. It has a wonderful indoor play space for the kids where they get to dress up as firefighter, police person etc and there are tons of blocks and tools to keep them occupied. Peaches, who is a devoted follower of Dad on his home improvement projects, made up a story about all the things she needed to fix in "my" house. Popcorn built a MacMansion to thrill her gaudy little heart.

What do you want to be, my lovely?

Can we have it all? Great careers, wonderful families, sparkly personalities, clean and shiny homes and, if you want Popcorn's opinion, Rapunzel's hair? The debate rages on and there is an awareness, at times, that "having it all" was more of a campaign promise which has to give way to the stark reality of running the country. So, should we teach our girls the stoicism of our ancestors? Suffer in silence, that's the way it is! Or just watch them trying to multi-task their lives off till they explode? Many commentators today seem to be saying its stupid of women to try to do it all, they need to scale down their expectations. Even Helen Fielding, the creator of that woman of our times, Bridget Jones, has been reported to say so. But I found the response to that, given by Helen Burch in The Telegraph, to be uplifting.

What set me thinking along these lines was watching Peaches select a T shirt for soccer. She chose one with a soccer ball on it that said, in pretty colors, "I play like a girl. That's why I play harder, faster, better." As we read it together, I laughed in acknowledgment while she seems baffled. To Peaches, there is no difference between her and the little boys in her soccer class. Its a great day when "plays like a girl" loses its meaning. So, Peaches go ahead and try to have it all!

What does your garden grow?

The answer, at the moment, is a few annuals which managed to survive the journey from Home Depot. But, great plans are afoot. Peaches, much inspired by Earth Day at preschool, proposed growing vegetables. Somehow (the mechanics were not exactly clear) but somehow this was going to clean the air and save the planet. Popcorn had no such noble motives. She had made her plans for the summer and they consisted of wearing pink skirts and eating strawberries. And how much easier it would be to follow this simple plan if Mom bought skirts in every shade of pink and grew strawberries at home! All these grand ambitions have to be fulfilled by a couple of planters on our deck so with some freshly bought potting soil at hand and faith in nature in our hearts we have embarked on our adventure. If anything grows, photos will follow....

The Problem of Mr. Cheney

So there we were, on January 19th, congratulating ourselves that we were finally out of the woods. Mr. Cheney was no longer a part of the administration and would fade away, writing his memoirs and giving speeches, but not lighting up our radar any more. But that did not happen. Here he is, criticizing President Obama: there he is, staunchly defending torture. Our radar is ablaze!
The whole time Mr. Cheney was vice-president,we heard his health was delicate. Did no one prescribe a restful vacation, far from the madding crowd? Where, oh, where is a secure, undisclosed location when you desperately need one?

What's in a name?

For the first time in history England has a woman poet laureate, Carol Ann Duffy. This is great not simply because she is a woman but because her poetry speaks so directly to us. I especially liked "Name" . While I was reading all the articles on her, I discovered Ursula Fanthorpe for the first time and could not believe that I had never read her! Oh, how she writes!! This poem about a painting is as close to perfection as you can get. When you read these two wonderful poets, you see the world from a different angle. A bit like our craft time today when Peaches and Popcorn gave up their beloved castles and princesses to draw rockets in space and then added glitter outlines to every object, celestial or man made.