Essays
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Back to school
My children start school tomorrow. Drew will be in 5th grade, and Meredith will be in 1st grade. They should still be babies as far as I’m concerned. I honestly don’t know where the summer went. It seems to pass by quicker now that I’m older and no longer in school. As a child, the summer seemed endless, full of lazy days and adventures. My siblings and I didn’t have the same amount of electronics my children have. Often, I think it was better that way. My sisters, brother, and I had to use our imaginations most of the time. We rode our bikes around the circle driveway, sometimes playing…
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School Shootings
Last week, on Valentine’s Day, a terrible tragedy happened in Florida. I’m sure it wasn’t the only tragedy to happen that day, but it’s the one that was on my mind the most after I heard the news. Another school shooting, this time leaving 14 students and three teachers dead. I’ve seen sources claim it was the 18th school shooting since January 1, 2018, and other sources claim that the number is exaggerated. My stance on the matter is: Who the hell cares what number on the list this school shooting was? Whether it was the first or the hundredth one, it is still one too many.
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Christmas, Truth, and Childhood Innocence
Childhood innocence eventually becomes a thing of the past. If we’re lucky, it becomes fond memories and reason for nostalgic reflection when we’re adults or the need to keep that innocence alive in our children for as long as possible. Last week, my almost 10-year-old son asked me two innocence-ending questions. The first was about the existence of the tooth fairy. He doubted it and said he was pretty sure we put money under his pillow and took his tooth after he went to bed. Jonathan and I had already agreed to tell our kids the truth when they ask questions like that, so I told Drew the truth—that he…
