My Mother In Law

My mother in law and I recently had a falling out. For me, it seemed to come out of nowhere. I really loved her. I thought she was cool and fun and amazing, and I frequently told my friends how much fun I had talking to her and spending time with her. I was surprised […]

Bab El Salam

Sometimes when I’m feeling homesick I go to my favorite restaurant, Bab El Salaam. It’s run by a Palestinian man everyone calls Amo Mazen, and his wife Ammeh Sue. At home, Amo is an honorific you use for a middle aged man out of respect. Amo and Ammeh for a paternal aunt. Our maternal uncle […]

Now and Then

Sometimes I think about how much my life has changed over the years.  Ten years ago, in 2012, I was married to an abusive man, with a one year old child and a mother in law that made my life hell. I was trapped in a state where I didn’t know anyone, I had no […]

The Fears Of Children

This morning, we packed up for a weekend at my mother in law’s lakehouse. My kids always love when my mother in law is in town. She’s a lovely person, and our weekends together often involve a lot of fun time jumping off the dock into the lake, or playing board games at her kitchen […]

Mother’s Day Squirrels

Somehow I ended up with a baby squirrel in my shirt yesterday. It would not leave. Normally around this time of year, squirrels this age get a little curious. This one was different though. He wasn’t just curious, he was obsessed. He did not want to leave me. No matter how much I tried to encourage […]

Racism and Gossip

Can we talk about racism and how that sometimes looks like rumors and gossip and drama mongering? Let’s start by explaining how bias can impact how we judge the value of information. As a rule, people tend to trust information that more closely aligns with their previously held beliefs over information that contradicts them. If […]

Parenting Shouldn’t Be This Isolating

Yesterday I took a friend out to lunch. I had an ulterior motive — I’ve been homesick and I wanted to go to my favorite Palestinian restaurant. I could have gone alone, but part of what makes Palestinian food feel like home is sharing it with people. My friend and his three year old picked […]

Losing My Faith

One of the hardest things about choosing love and kindness is the series of days when it feels like an impossible task. Sometimes doing the right thing, and choosing kindness can be lonely. It doesn’t always make people happy. Sometimes kindness is calling out racism by name, after you’ve quietly and gently pointed it out […]

The Insidiousness Of Racism

A friend of mine is a Black man with a Good Job. He ended up allowing a couple White people to move in five years ago because they needed a place to stay and a break from the awfulness that is capitalism. During these years, he covered the bills. He paid rent and utilities, they […]

IEPs and Well Child Visits

I’ve been struggling for a few years now to get my son an evaluation through school and through his doctor for his neurodivergences. He has clear difficulties sitting still and making eye contact, and didn’t really speak until he was four. He caught up on language, but trying to get him to sit still or […]