Don’t Be Stupid

When you’re a parent, the early years with your kids are very controlled. What they eat, wear, believe—everything is pretty much controlled by you. And when they do things you aren’t into, you teach them out of it. Like pooping in their pants. When they’re really little, pooping in the pants is OK but it…

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Can You JUST….????

The thing about nagging is it’s not by choice. No one wakes up hoping for a hectic morning of things not being where they are supposed to be. No one wants to get into it with their kids (repeatedly) about taking their underwear OUT OF THEIR PANTS before throwing them in the laundry bin. And no…

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Just Part Of Being A Girl

You know, it’s funny. After all the summers I spent living at Camp Tanuga, I never really paid attention to the differences between boys and girls until my visits this summer. I think it’s because when I was living at camp I was immersed in it–but now I’m back to being just a visitor so I’m…

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Don’t Shoot The Messenger

Several years ago I was asked to tell a staff member at camp that much of the current staff wasn’t super into her because of certain behaviors she was exhibiting. It didn’t go well. She got really defensive and started arguing with me. I didn’t even know what she was arguing about! I was just relaying…

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“Fell On Black Days”

The day started out normal enough. I woke up, as usual, before my alarm. Looked to my left. No one there, but I’m used to that. My husband always leaves for Camp Tanuga, where he is one of the directors, late in April so not waking up next to him this time of year–though not…

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Choose Your Own Adventure

Have you ever heard of the Choose Your Own Adventure books? I don’t know if they’re still popular but they were when I was a kid. I liked those books; I thought they were cool. I liked being in charge of the choices that eventually determined my outcome. Plus, it really didn’t matter if I…

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Not Everybody Is Going To Like You

  The other day, after school, one of my daughters was blah blah blah about some game she and her friends were playing at recess. I stopped her because the story was taking like 3 hours, and also because I wanted to ask her about a friend she hasn’t mentioned in awhile. She responded by…

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Mailbag Monday! When You Didn’t Mean To Hit REPLY TO ALL, Teenager Mood Swings and The Big Game

It’s Mailbag Monday at Dim Sum and Doughnuts! Below are the topics/questions for this installment. Feel free to agree, disagree or add on in the comment section. #ItTakesAVillage Here we go, yo: Hi, I have a friend getting married in 5 months. I’m not her maid of honor but I am a bridesmaid. This morning the maid…

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Know Your Worth

  When it comes to committed relationships, there are two types of girls. (There are probably more, but for the point of this piece, there are two.) First, there are the girls who make their guy better. These girls genuinely like the guy, and they see potential—sometimes from day one. From there the relationship grows…

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