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Rare Treasures
Posted on January 7, 2015 10 Comments
Parenting teenaged boys is very like parenting toddlers. Or being trapped in a hall of mirrors. Neither adult, nor child, but both at once, they leap between fiery extremes, singeing me and leaving them confused. Mornings are crammed with distractions and moving at glacial pace, while evenings are a tussle into bed, bathing-optional, clothes, the […]
Jane and Jen
Posted on December 31, 2014 8 Comments
We are Janus. We came into the world together, two faces one mind. I am she, and she is me. Our parents call us Jane and Jen, but they never know who they’re talking to. Jane and Jen born in June. We toy with them. We have played this game for as long as we […]
Arranged Marriage
Posted on December 21, 2014 2 Comments
Priya, how will MummyDaddy react? Radha, do you want me to go through with this arranged marriage and spend my life in misery? You’re my cousin-sister. I thought you’d understand. We have maintained the lie till now, but we both know that by morning, I will be gone.
Letter to My Sons
Posted on December 16, 2014 21 Comments
My Darling Sons, Today, in the aftermath of a violent, unhinged man holding people hostage in the Lindt chocolate cafe in Sydney, killing two, causing physical injuries to more, and unseen psychological damage to so many more, I am heartsore. In the aftermath of a young, unarmed African American man being shot to death, ostensibly […]
Running Behind Elephants
Posted on October 23, 2014 14 Comments
When you have got an elephant by the hind legs and he is trying to run away, it’s best to let him run. ~ Abraham Lincoln A strange thing happens between mothers and sons in the teen years. The chubby fingers of childhood loose their grip, the adoring eyes fall less often on you, the […]
Phoenix
Posted on October 13, 2014 2 Comments
The removalists scour Mama’s house, wiping away any traces of her. It has taken me the better part of the day to pack the picked over bones of her home, and I have left her bedroom till last. This is the most difficult room, the one in which she disappeared so frequently into her own […]
Her Honest Life: You’re Lucky If They Act Out
Posted on August 5, 2014
This post from the extraordinary Ijeoma Oluo deals with her personal experience of nearly losing her beautiful, clever, loving, sensitive son. This is a story we all need to read.
The Story of A Parenting Win and A Happy Dance
Posted on July 23, 2014
Last week we went on a road trip to Florida (you can find posts on that here if you’re interested) and it was wonderful. But along the way, we acquired a flat tyre on my car. So yesterday I called the lovely serviceman to come and change my tyre over for the spare (I have an […]
A Blog All Parents Should Read
Posted on July 20, 2014
Today I came across this blog. It is both a collection of letters/notes from adult women to their teenage selves (or to teenage women generally), and a place where teens can seek answers to questions (either by asking directly, or by reading the many stories already posted).
It’s quiet… too quiet….
Posted on June 22, 2014
The CEO has taken Godzilla and the TeenWolf camping today. They’ve kitted themselves out with cots, pillows, sleeping bags, daypacks, food and the ubiquitous (at least in our house) camouflage light (don’t get excited, it’s just a camping lantern with camo designs on it). Meanwhile, Pinky and the Brain are in their respective corners… […]
Asha Rajan 