Adventures In Motherhood

I believe in the kindness of strangers. I'll admit my belief had been waning amidst angry city drivers and news stories as of late, but recently during the depths of frantic motherhood, my faith in humanity was renewed because I was open to the possibility. Sneaking in a yoga respite prior to the hectic after school schedule, I confidently walked home expecting to find my boys eating a snack at the kitchen counter after school, having arrived safely on their own. Mindfulness can be difficult, especially when my elementary school children are trusted with responsibility and my iPhone is in the shop. Hustling home, I found only my 5th grader devouring chips and managing his homework with the utmost pride. "Where's your brother?" I inquired. "He wasn't on the bus," my son explained, clearly enjoying some time alone in our typically chaotic house. Sheer panic ensued as it had been a full half-hour since school let out and needless to say, my mind was no lo...

It's easy for our children to be involuntarily subjected to a world full of hate nowadays.  Impatient drivers flip 'the bird' and yell obscenities at me as they dangerously zoom past my carload of children.  A gridlocked lady sarcastically claps from the safety of her vehicle as my friend kindheartedly moves a garbage can blocking traffic, in plain view of her puzzled daughter.  Protests and counter-protests in anger block our streets as my family bikes downtown.  The 24-hour sensational news is not easily consumable by children.  Sometimes I cannot help but visualize pink slime boiling in our sewers fueled by hatred and anger akin to New York City in Ghostbusters II! As a mother with clandestine experience, I recently reached my internal boiling point and decided to make it our charge to spread love throughout the day, albeit in disguise.  Boys, I smiled, "I mustache you to spread some love today!"  My son and his buddy enthusiastically accepted t...