Happy spring to all who celebrate! I’m the type of person who measures every single degree outside in pursuit of warmer days. Right now, we are somewhere past Third Winter and embarking on Chilly Allergy Season, a weird time that’s somehow not warm but also makes you sneeze. In a little over a week, we are flying to Florida for the girls’ spring break, and I hope by the time we return, we can put away our puffy parkas for good.
Meanwhile, lots of writing going on over here. I want to re-share my piece published by Insider last weekend about having to schedule our kids’ lives so far in advance now that it makes decisions much harder and follow-through more difficult. I was inspired to expand upon my points in last fall’s popular essay, The Kids Are Too Busy, after engaging with other moms on social media about trying to get their kids into summer camp programs.
Generally speaking, I don’t make it a priority to read comments on anything I publish outside of this space. But I did get a kick out of a woman who momsplained how she raised six children just fine, and I just need to “get more organized.”
LOLZ. Barbara, times have changed. If you were raising six children in the suburbs of a fast-paced city, you’d need a full suite of Microsoft Office tools to keep track of them. The point I keep trying to drive home is that while, sure, some of these challenges are self-imposed, many are not. If you need supplemental childcare because two parents work outside of the home, you better believe you’ll be logging in at 8:59 a.m. to ensure your daughter gets into the late-stay program or the after-school activity. Also, you try telling your son he can’t play basketball next winter because mommy had a phone call during the four-second registration window in September. We didn’t choose this madness as individuals, and neither did our kids. It evolved into this due to a host of social and economic factors beyond any one parent’s choice to opt in or out.
I do hope you will read both essays. Next Friday, Our Tiny Rebellions will stick on the topic of parenting but from an interesting angle. Have a great weekend!
Do you ever feel like a child chief of staff? Let me know: averagejoelle3@gmail.com
The little things
Hazel said I could make us matching sneakers, so long as we never wear them at the same time. Hmm. Since we’d never be wearing them together anyway, I painted them both in this cool pink stonewash but then pivoted with hers, layering different design elements until I felt they were finished. Mine are TBD. I might even sell them.
In one of my early essays, I wrote about not selling my custom sneakers and only offering them as gifts for friends and family. With my newfound flexibility, I’ve decided to start selling a limited number of them at a time. You must be warned, they are expensive. This is intentional—I always honor the correlation between what I give and what I receive. They are all one-of-a-kind, hand-painted works of wearable art. But I’m excited to see where other people’s creative energy takes me.
Also
I read:
Cool People Accidentally Saved America’s Feet – The Atlantic
I’m Not Having a Mid-Life Crisis; My Lens on the Mid-Life Tattoo – Every Shade of Grey
Women Have Reclaimed Ambition—Now, Let’s Reframe It – Marie Claire
7 Classic Spice Blends You Should Use More Often – Food & Wine
I sang:
Karaoke surrounded by acquaintances for my friend’s 40th birthday. My selections included The Thong Song and You Oughta Know. You can’t judge me harder than I judge myself.
I bought:
This stunning green tropical number by ba&sh. I’m not quite sure where I’ll wear it, but you’ll see it when I do.
Your wins
Kate survived Disney with minimal meltdowns and no extra hands to help! As someone who approached Disney like a tactical mission, I realize how huge a win this is! WTG, Kate!