Parent | Asha Rajan

On 17th birthdays and glimpses of the adult

Posted on August 17, 2016 6 Comments

So, here I am very early on Godzilla’s 17th birthday, resting on the corner of Testosterone Lane and Horsepower Road. Having two teen boys in the house means a lot of muscle flexing, boundary pushing, and territory marking. They wake with teasing exchanges that rapidly morph into the rat-tat-tat of suddenly flared tempers. And before long, like […]

Who’s The Boss: On being a mother in the house when your mother is visiting

Posted on July 13, 2015 14 Comments

It’s summer holidays, and my mother recently flew from Australia to spend two months with us. It’s disconcerting to be the adult child in my house when my parent comes to stay.

In Which I Deal with Death Doubled

Posted on April 5, 2015 16 Comments

This week my essay on grief was published on Modern Loss, an online journal containing resources and personal accounts about death, loss, and grief. It’s a piece I’m proud of, and I’m delighted it was published, but it’s also a piece that causes such turmoil in me.

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).

Fathers I have known…

Posted on June 15, 2014

So, it’s Fathers Day in the US and the blogosphere is inundated with posts about fathers and how awesome they are. It makes my heart truly glad to see such a celebration of fatherhood. Fathers Day is always a difficult day for me. My father passed away 17 years ago. I miss him every day. Time does […]

The time has come to speak of … academic reports

Posted on May 29, 2014 1 Comment

School has closed for Summer and our first full academic year in the US has drawn to a close. It’s that time of year again, when the parents of your kids’ friends come out of the woodwork, brandishing reports in hand, and wanting to do a comparison. A little background first. I come from a […]