Tag: toddler

Big Brother Short Stories

A friend of ours came over one evening last week. She is a long time friend of T’s and mine from our college days and she’s always had a sort of special relationship with each of us. As E has gotten older, he’s grown to love her as well. She can match his energy and enthusiasm on a consistent basis, which us a big reason for his affection for her. The other reason is that she’s never afraid to get down to his level, whether they’re doing puzzles or dancing or fighting with light-sabers.

As we sat down to eat dinner, E started telling the three of us something that I can’t remember, although it was clearly very important to him at the time. Continue reading “Big Brother Short Stories”

Sleeping on the Edge (Again)

I’ve been having trouble sleeping lately.

Some of it is because I have things on my mind. I spend my days writing progress notes and service plans and working with families to help them find ways to improve their kids’ behaviors and develop more positive and productive relationships. There are always tasks I know I haven’t finished or conversations from home visits that I haven’t been able to shake by the time I go to bed. There are also the typical parent and husband thoughts that keep me up, like how things are going to change when our new baby comes or thinking of ways to keep a strong relationship with T while we’re both so occupied with balancing work and taking care of our family.  Continue reading “Sleeping on the Edge (Again)”

Living in the Moment

I had a dad moment this past weekend.

Last week, T, E and I were in the car and one of my favorite Billy Joel songs came on the radio. T and I immediately started singing, belting out the words at the tops of our lungs and dancing in our seats.1 I looked back at him a few times during the song so that I could see him grinning widely and dancing in his car seat along with us. E had never heard the song before but he could tell that it was important so he joined in.  Continue reading “Living in the Moment”

In Defense of Pet Owners

My family had a cat when I was very young. It was a ginger tabby by color but it was a stray that my parents took in, so I’m not really sure what breed it was. My parents named it Rambam, after the famous rabbi and doctor of the Middle Ages, Maimonides.1 Ginger tabbies apparently have a reputation for being easy-going but that didn’t apply to Rambam. My parents were always very clear with anyone who would come to our house that they should leave the cat alone because he had a habit of biting strangers. Rambam would lie on his back on the stairs, the upper half of his body hanging off the side, leaving his belly exposed so that people would try to rub it. Then, when they did, he would nip at their hands and arms. (He was devious like that.)  Continue reading “In Defense of Pet Owners”

Changing The Steps

E and I have been arguing a lot lately.

It’s hard to really call them arguments. Real arguments involve the presentation of an opinion, evidence to support one’s point of view and an exchange of ideas and information designed to convince one’s audience. The arguments between E and me are much less sophisticated. Our spats usually involve me asking E to stop doing something and E saying no and continuing his activity. I keep pushing, E keeps resisting, one or both of us ends up yelling, E starts crying and we both end up frustrated.  Continue reading “Changing The Steps”

A Tale of Two Cities

It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.

On Friday night, my family and I attended a Shabbat dinner at our local synagogue. Shabbat – the Sabbath day – is observed on Friday night through Saturday evening in Judaism. It commemorates the seventh day of creation, when the Bible says that God rested after having spent the previous six days creating the world. Jews observe the day by taking a break from their regular, day-to-day activities to pray and spend time with family and friends.  Continue reading “A Tale of Two Cities”

Brushing Up on Color and Gender

It was a year and a half ago, just before E’s second birthday, that I first wrote about color and gender. That post was a bit of a manifesto about gender bias coming through in clothing and toys that are marketed to young children. I took exception to the Spider-Man toys that were being given out at McDonald’s along with kids’ Happy Meals and to the way Party City had divided up the merchandise for kids’ birthday parties. I re-read it before sitting down to write this post and I’m still pretty proud of it, especially considering the fact that I was still fairly new to blogging at that point.  Continue reading “Brushing Up on Color and Gender”

We Do Not Hit, No Matter What Greg Hardy Says

Dear E,

I’m angry.

I’m not angry with you, don’t worry. You’ve continued to be the happy, fun-loving, wonderful little boy that you are. You play and you sing and you tell me about the things you’ve learned in school. You’re so eager to show off your new knowledge and the skills you’re developing and I can’t help but be captivated by your initiative and your growth. Even when you do things that are frustrating, the feelings never last long. You remind me every day how thankful I am to have you and how amazing the world can be when everything is new. Continue reading “We Do Not Hit, No Matter What Greg Hardy Says”

May There Always Be Ice Cream

Dear E,

Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year, is coming up in a few days, so I decided to write a sort of personal blessing for you and our family for the coming year. You get ritual blessings every time we see our relatives in person and by proxy when I speak with my parents on the phone every Friday, but I thought I would write something a little more unique for you.  Continue reading “May There Always Be Ice Cream”

Torah Reading and No-Hitters (and Vomit)

This past weekend, T, E and I drove down to Philadelphia to visit my grandparents for a long weekend. They live in a great location; a block away from the funky South Street shops and a short walk from Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell. It’s obviously always a pleasure getting the chance to spend time with them, but being able to walk around the neighborhood and live the “city life” (albeit, on a smaller scale than New York) has a real allure, as well.

I’m not going to write about our time in the city, though.  Continue reading “Torah Reading and No-Hitters (and Vomit)”

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