Mother and Other

I sit on a hard wooden bench at the American Museum of Natural History on a rainy Saturday afternoon. My daughter has fallen asleep, and my son is looking at…

The city seen from anywhere is new to me. It’s mysterious and beautiful at times. But more often, at the moment, it feels mysterious and confusing. We arrived in Manhattan…

We’re leaving Los Angeles soon, and we will no longer have a garage to store every scrap of clothing or broken toy my children have ever laid hands upon. So…

We’re moving from Los Angeles to New York in two weeks, and everyone from my best friend to the mail carrier is saying things like: “You must be so sad.”…

My husband’s job is taking us to New York. We spent months trying to decide whether or not to seize this opportunity. We both knew it was a great choice…

I’m living the life I never imagined these days. When I was a girl of nine, I dreamed I would be the first female president of the United States. I…

Three mornings a week, I drop my son off at school and then drive to the nearest Starbucks with adequate parking; it’s only about three minutes away. My almost two-year-old…

I’m sitting in a chair at the edge of the playground with six other moms of new preschoolers. We’re “transitioning.” Our kids are learning to navigate the rule-filled days of…

I played blocks with my one-year-old daughter this morning. Stack them up. Giggle. Knock them down. She’s so easy to play with at this age. The friction is easily managed.…

We live in Malibu now. After seven years in the middle of Los Angeles, my husband and I decided it was time. Time to find a place where we could…

Tangled technicolor cords bleed over my arm. They are fastened to my yellow hospital gown with a crunch of white medical tape. The cords are attached at one end to…