Dear Ruby, it is the end of the world. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed or not. No, I’m not talking about Corona Virus, although I know that seems very apocalyptic and stressful right now. Thank goodness we had your birthday party a week early! If we’d had it on your actual birthday, it would […]
Category Archives: Ruby
To Ruby on Her Eleven-and-a-halfth Birthday
Dear Ruby, Today you are eleven and a half. You may have noticed that this letter is technically arriving half a year late. And yes, it’s true. In the past I have written to you on your birthday point zero, and I have used this space to do it. But now I don’t write here […]
The Striking Similarities Between Malala Yousafzai and Harry Potter
Ruby was at her tenth birthday party, discussing the merits of favorite books with her two best friends, when I overheard this mind-blowing conversation. Girl 1: Harry Potter is the best series of all time. No book is better than Harry Potter. Girl 2: I am Malala is better. Girl 1: That’s crazy, Harry […]
How I Crossed the Slackline
I put one foot in front of the other, and then I did it again. Three steps out and I felt the slackline start to wobble from side to side and I knew that I was going to fall, so I jumped off and down to safety. This wasn’t my first try, and three steps […]
Ten
Now you are ten. Two whole hands. I remember when you were one hand. You were so excited. Now you are both. You are all of the fingers. You are all of the toes. You are the base of our mathematics, double digits, which should be cool because you love math and are quite good […]
Should I Be a Better Person? Or Just Let My Kids Be Worse…?
I am a good person. Although this, I must admit, is a subjective fact coming from a biased source: me. At the very least I try to be a good person. But do I? Do I really? Some days I start to think about the lessons I consistently try to impart to my children, and I […]
Partisan Parenting
How’s the political world treating you these days? Do you feel as though the “other side” is working with a completely different set of facts? Do you feel as though “they” have constructed their own reality and will do whatever it takes to protect it? Do they make no sense and refuse to acknowledge clear […]
The Health Talk
Ruby has been dreading this day for weeks. She was so excited to learn that it would be happening on a Wednesday, when she would be at Forest School, but then very upset to learn that it would happen on one of those magical few Wednesdays between the fall and spring Forest School sessions. Yes, […]
The First Pumpkin-Related Injury of the Season
I have been accused of having proportionally inverse reactions to pain. And it may be true. When I am minorly bonked in an upsetting and inconvenient way, I howl as though I were just dealt a mortal blow and all is lost. On the other hand, when I am actually seriously wounded I tend to […]
Subtle Tricks and Extra Treats, or How Edward Got So Much Candy
Halfway through the evening it was clear who was ahead. Of course it wasn’t a competition, but if it were a competition, Edward was handily beating his sister in the candy collection department. She noticed it too. Ruby’s pillowcase was fuller than it had ever been before, but Edward’s was fuller-er. How could this be? They […]