On masks, maybe-friends, and the quiet exhaustion of trying too hard for too long. I used to think friendship was binary. That story—the one about flower bracelets and a life-sized doll—was where I started. It set the tone, the standard, the shape of what I thought friendship was supposed to feel like. Then everything got … Continue reading my history of understanding friendship — act II: the third thing
Tag: love
my history of understanding friendship — act I: the bracelet-making soulmate and the life-sized goodbye..
When I was a kid, friendship felt pretty straightforward. You’d walk up to another kid on the playground and ask if they wanted to play. If they said yes and were nice, boom: friend. If they said no or broke one of my sacred, unspoken rules? Not a friend. Just some kid with poor judgment. … Continue reading my history of understanding friendship — act I: the bracelet-making soulmate and the life-sized goodbye..
for matty…
It's strange to me sometimes as the parent of an only child, to watch K's interactions with me, her father, her friends, my friends, the world. I was never an only child. On the day I was born my brother was nearly three and quite happy being an only child. I could regale you with … Continue reading for matty…
mothered
Two days before I left on my trip to Austin my mother flew in from the Midwest. She came for two reasons, both greatly appreciated. My trip was very close to my daughters birthday, for which my mom comes into town each year anyway. But the timing, the early arrival was due to the fact … Continue reading mothered
wishing for rain…
My mornings start relatively early. With the blare of my alarm. A cloud of confused thought as I fall out of a dream. The stretching of muscles and the cool soft fabric of my sheets on my toes as I reach with them for a part of the bed my skin hasn't warmed. Oh and … Continue reading wishing for rain…
all’s not quiet…
I've been quiet here. Not a peep out of me for a week... what has the world come to when Cami Kaos isn't babbling incessantly? There's been too much and not enough and yet I've found time to smile and play and live life in a very happy, if cramped sort of way. I'm hoping … Continue reading all’s not quiet…
consumer whore cami gets what she asks for…
Last night we ventured downtown in a swirl of Portland mist and setting sun. We were out on a mission. An outing. An adventure. First and most importantly my daughter had a gift card to an accessories store that had been burning a hole in her pocket since Christmas. She was in desperate NEED of … Continue reading consumer whore cami gets what she asks for…
likeness
Aside from a few common physical characteristics that we share, I often find my daughter's similarities to me to be among her most difficult traits. As much as I am proud of her for so willfully being her own person, it makes her a difficult child to parent especially when we're both so determined to … Continue reading likeness
Bad Parenting 101
It's 31 minutes until my child's bedtime. The big homework packet that she gets at the beginning of the week? It sits half finished on the dining table. She has 3 sheets of paper she's not happy with that she wants to discard and she's currently in the bathroom weeping copious and highly dramatic tears. … Continue reading Bad Parenting 101
umbrella
As I greeted my daughter at school pickup she was all smiles. Glowing. She was proud of herself and all she'd done today, happy to be back with her friends and engaged in their current science project. She bounced toward me and I gave her umbrella to her. She opened it up and hand in … Continue reading umbrella