glenrockschwartz

Hi Alex and Avery, When you get older and have kids of your own, you will contemplate leaving the city for the space and greenery of the suburbs.  You will do this because the giant sized kid toys will be taking over your apartment and you will have convinced yourselves that your children need freedom to have fresh air whenever they want it, although in reality your kids will want to stay inside and watch tv, play video games or use the computer rather than go in the backyard.  You will also justify the decision to go suburban because of the schools, the excellent schools!  Before, during and after you make the suburban transition, you will bring up these justifications ad nauseum to your friends who have chosen to remain city dwellers, but in reality, you will be repeating these mantras to quell the fear in your own hearts. "Will I begin to wear mom jeans?" you wonder (or for Alex, whatever the male equivalent is to 'mom jeans').  Will I feel completely isolated...

Dear kids, Wow! I don't know why, I should expect it by now, but the fall and its routines really pack a punch that leave me gasping for air. I have always said that autumn is my favorite season: I love the changing colors of the leaves, the weather getting cooler so that you need to grab a sweater in the morning that you will shed midday, new clothes to wear and getting to snuggle in under the covers and night. Fast forward to being a mom of school age kids and that list changes to: football practice and games four days a week, School of Rock twice a week, Hebrew School twice a week, tap & jazz, soccer, cheerleading, packing lunches, making sure homework is done, making sure forms are filled out and returned, no time to cook or eat shabbat dinner together and in general no time to take a deep breath and just be. It's also emotional in the fall because there is a return to interaction with sports coaches and teachers and a fierce mama bear (that's me) will do ju...