Parenting a Tiger Child
Posted: January 30, 2011 Filed under: Aha!, Joined at the Heart, Mouths of Babes, Writers Write | Tags: family, Mothers, writers, writing 2 Comments »
I’m not a Tiger mom. (If you’ve been under a rock in regard to parenting trends, see the article here.) But, since the high school orchestra visited Coco’s school last year, she’s wanted to play the violin. I explained, “You’ll have to learn to read music.” She taught herself notes and fingerings on a dollar store recorder. I said, “Wait until fifth grade. Then you can learn with your friends in the school strings program.”
“I want to play the violin now.”
After she made her big sister watch an entire PBS concert featuring Itzhak Perlman and YoYo Ma, I gave in.
Last June, we agreed to lessons on a trial basis with a rented instrument. We found Miss Winnie, who is Chinese like Coco. She played second violin in the Shanghai symphony. She is a luthier, which means she makes violins as well as plays them. Coco adores her. Once a week, I sit outside a practice room and listen to my nine-year old explore a world that belongs only to her.
This week she gave her first public performance. In the school talent show, she played for 350 of her classmates. Where did she find the courage? I’m not a Tiger mom, but it’s possible I have a Tiger child.
Mall Walker
Posted: September 9, 2010 Filed under: Aha!, Writers Write | Tags: loss, memory, perception, politics, writers, writing Leave a comment »Today I went to the mall. I couldn’t remember the last time. There are easier places to shop, and face it, if it isn’t available at the supermarket, it’s probably out of my price range. But today, the thing I needed required a mall.
North Star was once the epitome of cool. Was. I found an empty parking place next to Macy’s. Times have changed. When you walk around in your own Great Recession, self-preservation dictates geographic restrictions. Too painful to shop at Ann Taylor or Talbots? Go for half-off at Marshalls.
My old favorites are gone. No more Baby Gap or Pottery Barn Kids to waltz through. Sharper Image, Bombay Company, Picture People–no more. The bookstores disappeared long ago. Coach is still alive, along with Williams-Sonoma and The Brighton Store, but with their mark up, they can afford a few looky-loos. I was the only customer in J. Crew, despite Michelle Obama’s endorsement. Though, forty-three dollars for an embellished tissue tee is a reach for me. I’ll be scouring Target for the knock-off.
Nothing I’m saying is new. Those of us, formerly of the middle class, live with it. Everyone else can read about it on Huffington Post. But seeing is the shocker. This broken-hearted consumer forgot a maxim. When I can’t buy, they can’t sell.
I found what I went for, but I missed the mall of 1996.
I Write Like . . .
Posted: July 20, 2010 Filed under: Aha!, Writers Write | Tags: writers, writing Leave a comment »
David Foster Wallace
I Write Like by Mémoires, Mac journal software. Analyze your writing!
Seriously. If you haven’t seen this, take a peek. It analyses the style of the text you insert–sentence length, structure, punctuation–but not content. It’s just for fun.
