April, the Month of the Military Child, reminds me of both challenges and opportunities faced by my own military children. “Annabanana, knock ÔÇÿem dead,” I said when I dropped my daughter off for her first day of 10th grade after we moved to Rhode Island. A typical Navy brat, Anna knew all about being the…
women’s empowerment
Autism Awareness: What a difference two decades make
In 1998, our son, Hayden, was diagnosed with “atypical autism.” After recovering from the shock, my husband and I inundated ourselves with information, desperate to provide our thee-year-old boy with whatever might help him lead a relatively normal life. We embarked on a home therapy program called “Floortime,” a type of play therapy developed by…
College admissions scam aside, kids should feel good enough
Back in 1983, I showed up for my SAT test with two number two pencils and a pack of gum. The night before, I talked to my best friend on the phone for two hours, but never cracked a book. I don’t think there were test prep books back in those days. Besides, we figured…
The doodies of dog ownership, on and off base
There’s nothing that fights late winter melancholy quite like a brisk dog walk on a brilliant, crisp, blue day. A bit of fresh air and sun does wonders for my soul during these long, chilly months. Moby trots happily a leash length ahead of me, with his tongue wagging from his stout English Lab frame….
