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The Girl is Mine

Retired Columns

From “Life in the Sandwich” to “Special Needs Mama” to “Zen and the Art of Child Maintenance”—they’re all here for you to explore.

Sunday, Whiny Sunday

I’m starting my whole life over. I am trying to be a patient, sensitive mother, and sometimes, that doesn’t go so well. I am tired of hearing complaints! Except mine,…

The Girl is Mine | November 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


My Daughter, My Self

My baby, my first born, has breast buds. She is four months shy of her 8th birthday. I do what I always do when I’m not sure what to do:…

The Girl is Mine | October 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


Sparing the Rod

A black comedian riffs on the subject of parenthood on BET’s late-night laughfest, ComicView: “You wanna know the difference between black parents and white parents?” he begins. “In public, white…

The Girl is Mine | September 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


Again

Thanksgiving in Vegas: my resolution to have fun before the end of 2005 which is hands-down the worst year of my life. And Vegas does not disappoint. With dancing, decadence,…

The Girl is Mine | August 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


Postscript

Home: I think this is the place. But ever since my mother died, I keep saying “Jacksonville” when I mean “Pittsburgh” (though, interestingly, never the other way around). At any…

The Girl is Mine | June 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


Letting Go

Like my mother, the man is in his early 50s. And like my mother, he looks about a decade younger. He’s neatly dressed and unassuming. His slight smile suggests shyness…

The Girl is Mine | April 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


Women Want Wives, Too

A few years ago, I read a wonderful essay by Anne Lamott about the ugly, dull side of parenting that no one tells you about before you have kids. Before…

The Girl is Mine | February 2006 | By Deesha Philyaw


Free at Last

I am redeemed. I am the dutiful daughter carrying out her mother’s wishes — from scratching an itch she can’t reach to bringing barbecue ribs to her hospice room in…

The Girl is Mine | December 2005 | By Deesha Philyaw


Day . . . Break

Four months and three weeks ago . . . I left my mother’s house angry and flew back from Jacksonville to Pittsburgh angry. Angry at my mother for not taking…

The Girl is Mine | October 2005 | By Deesha Philyaw


Oui, Mademoiselle

I have two college degrees, and yet here I am, crawling around sponging milk up off the floor like some sycophant maitre d’ at a fancy French restaurant indulging a…

The Girl is Mine | July 2005 | By Deesha Philyaw


I Knew Her When

Interviewer: Ms. Thomas, thanks for being with us tonight. Deesha Philyaw Thomas: Oh, my pleasure. Int: Your daughter Peyton’s novel, The Blackest Rose, has spent six consecutive months on The…

The Girl is Mine | May 2005 | By Deesha Philyaw


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