Reading Down the Generations

An old, battered (and bunny-chewed) copy of Alice in Wonderland with Alice standing with her hands clasped behind her, the White Rabbit, the Cheshire Cat, the Duchess, and the Mad Hatter; Text: Reading Down the Generations

Peering at the front inside cover of the battered book, I noticed something for the first time. I had opened the copy of Alice in Wonderland to show my younger son that it had once been my book – that it said “Shannon Brescher” in the front.

But my name wasn’t the first one in the book. No, elementary school-me had crossed out someone else’s name and written mine below it. I peered at it to try to make it out. Above my name, visible underneath the black marker line, it read: “Patty Brescher.” My aunt.

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To My Child on Your Eighth Birthday

Text: To My Child on Your Eighth Birthday; Photo of two white boys wearing shorts and t-shirts walking down a sidewalk

To my older son on your birthday,

Eight years ago, you finally came into our lives. Five days late, ten hours of labor. You and your brother have both always been on your own timelines. But you alone made me a parent. You made me a mom.

And now, you’re right on the edge between being a big and little kid. I can no longer say I’m the mom of “little kids.” Just one little kid, with one big one.

So much has changed in the last eight years. I’ve watched you grow so much.

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Why I Had My Kids Write to the City Mayor

Screenshot of a scanned in letter that says "Dear Mayor Newton, I believe we need a healthy Earth for everyone who lives on it. We need to work together to make less pollution and stop climate change. Don't value profit more than my future. We need climate justice now! The Earth is everyone's home. Draw what you want to protect from climate change." with a children's drawing of an elephant

“I’m sure the mayor will respond to you – they love getting stuff from kids,” I promised my kids, crossing my fingers. In the back of my head, I thought “Damn right, she better.”

I was trying to convince them to write letters to our local city government officials about climate change. While heavy topics like climate change can seem scary for adults to talk to kids about, finding ways to empower kids can help them be much less anxiety-inspiring. When kids know that they are not helpless – that they can make a difference and that their parents want to do it with them – they can tackle hard topics much better than we would expect.

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Seeing the Impacts When You Least Expect It

Seeing the Impacts When You Least Expect It; Photo: Boy in a snow jacket and hat shoveling snow on a sidewalk

“I want to help!” my older son declared, in that way he does when he feels like life has dealt him a terribly unfair hand.

“Oh! Sure,” I said, handing him the snow shovel. We were clearing the sidewalk of snow, in one of the few times a year Washington D.C. gets it.

Both his tone of voice and demand to help surprised me. He’s a kid for whom chores are like pulling teeth. So volunteering for a hard job that meant I did less work? Excellent. I did want to give him a heads-up though. “The snow is pretty tough to shovel, as there’s a layer of ice underneath. From when we had the freezing rain last night. So try to get under the ice, if you can.”

As he managed the big shovel awkwardly, I tried to both hold my tongue and figure out what inspired this burst of enthusiasm.

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Finding the Place I’d Been Looking for Far Closer than I Imagined

Finding the Place I'd Been Looking For (photo of a young boy walking on rocks through a stream)

A quiet stream with gurgling water, a spattering of rocks along the bottom. My young child plays nearby, the water just high enough for him to splash in without worrying about him getting hurt. I sit on a rock, my baby nestled in my arms.

I opened my eyes to a prenatal yoga class full of other heavily pregnant women. I struggled to stand up from where I was snuggled into a nest of yoga pillows and blankets.

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