Tag: parenting
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Raising White Kids: Book Review and Giveaway
While reading Dr. Jennifer Harvey’s latest book, both my kids asked me separately, “Mommy, why are you reading a book called ‘Raising White Kids?’” The conversation this question sparked advanced Harvey’s hope for the book—that parents of white children will talk about race (and racism) early and often in their children’s lives. Such conversations, Harvey…
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I’ll pray for you anyway
“I just got back from Walgreens where I bought boxes of band aids, Neosporin, and hydrocortisone cream.” This was my response to Sister’s Margaret’s inquiry into the summer activities of my children. I try to visit her Benedictine monastery once a month for spiritual direction. “The kids are doing great,” I said. “But Isaac came…
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Love is always reaching for more
In his book, My Bright Abyss, Christian Wiman writes: “In any true love—a mother’s for her child, a husband’s for his wife, a friend’s for a friend—there is an excess energy that always wants to be in motion. Moreover, it seems to move not simply from one person to another but through them, toward something…
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Backyard Adventures
A couple of years ago my kids and I made a frightening discovery in our backyard. I wrote the story up as a flash essay and am excited that Mamalode decided to publish it. Follow the link to read, It’s the Yard that Makes our House a Home.
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A Virtual Placeholder
Last night I ransacked my recently cleaned home office in search of a poem I wrote two years ago about a sweet moment with my daughter. During a week when I am trying to write a sermon, a wedding homily and a first draft of my new essay, I thought it would be the perfect,…
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Practice, Practice, Practice
“We are always practicing, until the very end,” writes Brenda Miller in her book The Pen and the Bell: Mindful Writing in a Busy World. I admit, in such a performance-driven world, the idea that we are always practicing gives me comfort. So what if I don’t preach my absolute best sermon at our upcoming…
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Writing to Discover
In an essay I am writing about my son I am discovering just how much I love my children. This feels odd to write because of course I already know that I love my children. But as I challenge myself to go deeper in this essay, to be more truthful, to choose words that resonate…
Teri McDowell Ott 