1. these watercolors.
{no matter if my painting partner would. not. stop. mixing. colors.}
2. these clementines.
{and the other 876 we’ve eaten this week.}
3. this classic.
{and the birdwatcher.}
4. these pencils.
{but mostly the sunshine.}
5. these pop-its.
{and the neighborhood grandpas looking out for kids in quarantine.}
other things:
there’s no good or right way to proceed other than the one that keeps you sane.
i am not everything that my son needs.
get mad, yes, but direct most of your anger above, not below.
we’re beyond calming platitudes.
12 Comments
Thank you, Erin, for posting the link to the New Yorker article, “Who Gets the Blame …” I flew back to Brooklyn yesterday, a trip planned since the fall when I could see that the second grade teacher, the mother of my grandchild, was hanging on by a fingernail. The private school where she teaches second grade does not even allow teachers time to eat their lunch — which is probably illegal. I could go on and on about this, but as you wrote so eloquently earlier this week, I’ll simply agree that it is enraging that the “greatest country in the world,” is still flailing, unable to protect its children, teachers, health care workers, everyone else on the front lines, and our most vulnerable citizens in the most basic of ways during this ongoing and seemingly endless pandemic.
Yours in solidarity, Judith
Agreed! Thank you, Erin, the overwhelming theme of life is seen in these articles. Judith, thank you for seeing us parents. I wanted to send this whole roundup to my family members who want me to carryon a normal conversation without the reality of how hard parenting in a pandemic still is. They are over it, I wish I could be too.
We’ve watched Encanto 5 of the last 6 days. I feel seen.
Thanks for the links to the insightful articles! I was able to access the last one, on motherhood we’re allowed to see, and that one made me think a lot about my role in ‘consuming’ social media and what I want to value in celebrating moms and simply people in general.
So many good articles this week, thank you for curating. And what a relief to know we’re not the only household playing the Encanto movie and soundtrack on repeat. That WashPo piece was a delight to read.
Before defending shame, please consider listening to this podcast on the difference between shame and accountability: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/brene-on-shame-and-accountability/
It deepened my perspective on shame and in particular the harms of kindling a culture of shaming, public and otherwise.
If I have to hear We don’t talk about Bruno one more time, I might jump out the window – my daughter knows it by heart and sings it CONSTANTLY!!!!
Thank you for the thoughtful roundup of articles, as always.
Absolutely crushed this round-up of links. Thanks for curating for this mom hanging on by a thread.
Powerful articles this week. Thank you. As a newish mother (2 years and all pandemic life) I’m often awash in so many conflicting thoughts and emotions. These articles brought such complexity to an otherwise oversimplified dialogue. Thank you, thank you.
Seriously Erin, the articles you share with us, just wow! That mom-influencer article just blew my mind. I am so tired of that whole trope to be honest with you. Also, can we as a society stop telling women they need to “bounce back” after having a child? It is exhausting.
Z would like to know where you got those water colors, please!
Me too and the pencils please ♥️
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