“So, are you Chinese or Indonesian?” one of my children asked me today. I paused a long time. My kids are Amer-Asian. They live in a nice town and go to amazing private schools. A branch of their mother’s family came over on the Mayflower. I’m not sure if they’re ready to hear the full
Category: Family life
‘Life Experiences’
A 13-hour bus ride to Washington D.C. in a blizzard. Nausea amid the stop-and-go traffic. Two-to-a-bed in a hotel room with strangers. Early mornings and late nights. A long bus ride back and arriving back in Boston at midnight. One of our children is out of town for a political protest. This was something our
Family Skiing and Relationships in ‘Gridlock’
We are away skiing this MLK long weekend. It has been a milestone winter for us. For the first time, all of our children are independent and confident skiers. They can ski any trail with speed and surety. It has been a blast. No more ski schools or dividing the family into a fast group
My Sister
I yesterday had an amazing phone call with my sister. Though she was sick and had slept little the night before, she made time for a long talk. I’m still processing a conversation I had about apartheid, and she had some helpful perspectives. Her big point to me is that it’s really tough to convince
Interview a Relative Today
If on this day after Thanksgiving you’re starting to find yourself a bit relaxed, but somewhat bored, why not do this: interview a relative and record it? I did this with my father a few years back, after my mother died. It was a lot of fun. We covered a lot of ground, from his
A Father’s Love
I last night went to a fun dinner. Every year, the parents in one of my children’s grades gather together for a big potluck dinner. Everyone brings a dish and a brave couple hosts a huge crowd at their house. I was chatting with one of the fathers. We talked about how blessed our children