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United States
Nelle Myrica Donaldson is a writer based in South Strafford, VT. Her academic interests and expertise are in biology, psychology and anthropology. Her past contributions range from travel articles for See Jane Fly to copy editing for Anthropological Quarterly. Currently, Nelle covers a wide range of content, including: parenting, psychology, popular culture, and speculative fiction. She is a The Natural Parent Magazine Contributor.
Recently, my husband and I attended a wine tasting (something that couples sometimes do and parents rarely do). This tasting, at the home of friends, was conceived of as an opportunity for the guests to help the hosts select which bottles to serve at their wedding.
"I'm bor ed!" My eyebrows lurch, "How can you possibly be bored? You have toys and art supplies...Or you could help me sweep the kitchen!" As an adult, I know something about the bigness of the world, and I am deeply invested in my goals and interests. I am unmoved by histrionic apathy.
By Nelle Donaldson A couple of years ago, over thirteen thousand parents on babycenter.com voted in response to the question, "What do you think is the most important value for kids to learn?" The choices were a) Empathy, b) Respect, c) Generosity, d) Responsibility or e) Honesty.
Before we married, my husband and I spent a lot of time talking about our future together. Among other things, we considered how we might introduce or reinvent certain holiday traditions, once we had a family of our own. In the Northern Hemisphere, where we live, Easter is associated with the vernal equinox.
My three-year-old does not own a cell phone, which makes the rules for Family Night easy for him to follow: no phones, no screens, no excuses. We had this conversation the other day: "I'm pretending to be a dad." "But I don't have a phone or a computer." "OK.
Bed rest during my second pregnancy was like a cross between a staycation and jail. The intent to relax at home for an extended period made me think of the former, and the emphasis on, let's say, limited freedoms, reminded me of the latter (though, to be fair, I've only fantasized about what a staycation might be like, and most of what I know about doing time I learned from Orange is the New Black).
I have no time to myself. Speaking these words aloud recently brought me to big, hot tears - as a mother of young children, it holds new meaning. With a tight throat I cried, "It's just...I haven't been alone in a really long time!"