Metrical Friday: ‘Parental Recollections’

Parental Recollections By Charles Lamb A child’s a plaything for an hour;      Its pretty tricks we try For that or for a longer space;      Then tire, and lay it by. But I knew one, that to itself      All seasons could controul; That would have mock’d the sense of pain      Out of a grieved soul. Thou, […]

Judge Not

Lately Ian’s first response to anything—bath, bed, green beans, global warming—is to whine. It’s like watching The View or listening to NPR. Depending upon the perceived level of annoyance and/or inconvenience, his whining covers the spectrum from a dejected ‘Aww!’ to a piercing, face-crumpling, foot-stomping cry that sometimes makes me thankful we don’t own a […]

Feels Like Monday

As a working parent, I’ve resigned myself to mornings of psychological warfare with a son who’d rather I stay home and play. Quivering bottom lips, dejected sighs, slumped shoulders. Sometimes he’ll move beyond the passive-aggressive and cling to my leg or kiss my cheek. Barbed phrases like ‘But I miss you’ or ‘I want to […]

Viewers Like You

What do you get when you combine a four-year-old with a lack of cable? PBS. Each night, as we near 7 o’clock and settle into snuggle mode, the only channel our family can watch together is PBS. Which is fantastic. We’re not usually home on Wednesday nights, so last night I flipped through the networks […]

Unseemly

Ian was ready for bed, jammies zipped and teeth brushed, a final drink of water. ‘Okay, kiddo, go potty.’ To make room for the water. He sauntered to the bowl and spoke over his shoulder. ‘You shouldn’t say that, Daddy. We say tinkle. Because we’re Englishmen.’

We Beseech Thee

Kelly has parent/teacher conferences, so I’m working from home this morning. It’s difficult for Ian to understand that Daddy’s home but can’t play. The same could be said of me. I assume this isn’t his normal routine, but he’s currently performing interpretive dance to the Godspell soundtrack. Props he’s used so far: Spiderman blanket straw […]

But…He Can’t Read

I went to summer camp as a kid, and once took a tour of the local coal-fired power plant. I’m sure that significant portions of my memory have been supplemented by The China Syndrome and Space Mutiny, but I remember steel girders and corroded stairs, tangles of pipes and men wearing hard hats. Kalgan lurking […]

WALL-E: Resistance is Futile

The fact that I’ll watch any Pixar movie is a moot point, because now I have no choice. You may have heard of their upcoming WALL-E, but details have been tantalizingly vague…until now. I knew he was cute. Now that he’s in love, and on a rescue mission, he may well take over the world. […]

Comfort Food

One of our favorite restaurants is India Palace, perched atop a hotel overlooking the St. Louis airport. We’ve been taking Ian there since he was a baby; the food for us, the planes for him. The staff are welcoming and helpful, quick and efficient, and are led by a stoic Sikh wearing a blue turban. […]