raising a boy

For the past few months, Thursday nights have become a “date night” for me and Jonah. Peter is at school on Thursdays (getting his MBA in the evenings), so often times, I use the opportunity to take Jonah out for a bite to eat after his karate… just the two of us. As luck would have it, my kid loves sushi (and by love, I mean I usually need to cut him off) and I love my son (and sushi) so it’s really a win-win sitch. Well, as I sat across the table from a hungry 6-year old last night who couldn’t get albacore with crispy onions into his mouth fast ...Read More
The other day… Just as we were about to walk out the door to school… J: Oh, Mom! Can you give me a dollar? Me: Why? J: Because… I need one. Me: Why do you need one? J: Because I promised *Leo I’d give him a dollar. Me: Um. Why did you promise Leo you’d give him a dollar? J: Because he let me cut in line. So I told him I’d give him a dollar. He puts his hand out. I stared at him blankly.  J: Mom. Hello? Can I have one? Was this conversation really happening? When did he get to be a full-fledged kid ensued in  playground bribery? Are these kind of exchanges between boys common, I wondered? When ...Read More
I am a member of the Collective Bias® Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias and their client. #ThisisStyle  for #backtoschool #cbias Gulp. My son is going to be a kindergartener. A full-fledged kindergartener! This year, shopping for back to school apparel and items is more poignant and important than ever. Though my son spent last year in Transitional Kindergarten (thank goodness for “red shirting”), this year really counts as “The Year.” It’s go time, for reals, and there’s no turning back. (Sigh). But, lucky for me, I’ve teamed up with Collective Bias and SearsStyleto find the ...Read More
Last year, I tried to volunteer at school as much as I could. Spending time in Jonah’s class -cutting paper, cleaning up, passing out goodies on special occasions, etc.- opened my eyes not only to the world of Transitional Kindergarten and public school, but also to the differences between boys and girls… At an early age, it’s clear that there is an inherent difference in attention to detail… Generally, the boys scribble fast, while the girls keep the colors (coordinated) and in between the lines. This basically results in Jonah coming home with a lot of projects that, well… look like… someone just wanted to get outside and play zombies ...Read More
06.27.13
3
For those of you that have been following, you might recall that 2 summers ago, I made the worst parenting decision of my life. I signed up Jonah for a swim boot camp… A week -long intensive taught by a “I swear-by-him… he’s a miracle worker… it’s so worth the money” guy in Los Angeles. Known for his controversial, sort of,“get in the pool and swim, kid” methodology, I wasn’t 100% convinced that this was the right thing for Jonah. HOWEVER, everyone I knew flocked to him and I was guaranteed that by the end of the week, Jonah would be swimming. And he did. For the ...Read More
6am.  A tap on my shoulder… Jonah: Mommy… Me: Yes…? J: I’m up. Me: I see. J: Mommy? Me: Yes…? J: I had a very bad dream. Me: I’m so sorry to hear that. J: Mommy? Me: Yes…? J: Please don’t be mad at me… but in my dream… I punched (my cousin). Me: Wow, that does sound like a bad dream. J: Are you mad at me? Me: No, honey. It was just a dream. J:… Because you know I’d never punch my cousin, right? Me: I know you’d never punch anyone. A few days later… 6am again… (I mean, seriously). Michelle Obama in a PSA on PBS. Me: Do you know who that is? J: No, who? Me: That’s The First Lady of the United States. That’s President Obama’s ...Read More
04.17.13
3
“Hi, Jonah’s Mommy,” they whispered as I entered the classroom.  “Hi, everyone,” I said quietly with a little wink directed at Jonah. When I dropped him off at school in the morning, I asked his teacher Mrs. S if she needed any volunteers later in the day. I have volunteered a few times… and though it almost inevitably means my son will misbehave more than usual (I suspect because he’s 5, and is excited that I’m there and therefore, “showing off”), I had an urge to be there… Even if it meant watching Jonah squirm when he should be listening, or me witnessing a flaw in the ...Read More
Ah, it’s March and that means Spring is in the air… Actually, here in Los Angeles, Spring was in the air in December and pretty much all through January…  and I’m pretty sure I spotted Summer one weekend in February…. So forget the air part. It’s just March. And that means a lot of things… For starters, for the past couple of years, every March I seem to make it my mission to cleanse. I want to clean house. To clean body. To clean mind. Without fail though, having just spent the two months prior to March making excuses, mentally, as to why postponing all my “cleansing” resolutions is probably better ...Read More
12.31.12
4
It’s going fast…. this train. But I am definitely on board. It’s hard to believe that during this “don’t blink for a second” year, so much has happened. Not stuff, but moments. Memories. Changes. My LIFE. Let’s see… In 2012, in no particular order… 1) I learned to surf. 2) I moved myself, my son, (and everything but the couch) in with my boyfriend to a new home. (His couch was much, much better than ours).  3) I traveled to the most impoverished country in the Western Hemisphere and held the hands of extremely sick children. (Will be able to fully discuss this life altering adventure in a few more months). 4) I saw Bruce ...Read More