Gordon is on his tablet on the back room couch, nestled against one particular arm — a spot that I also favor for sitting and scrolling, as it conceals the lounger from view of any family members elsewhere on the first floor. The tablets (one for his brother, one for him) were purchased several years ago for use during long car rides to Ohio, but the devices have crept into other areas of our life, as devices are wont to do. These days the boys’ after school screen time (before dinner but after piano, homework, and occasionally some minor chore like putting away their clean laundry that I have staged in neat, folded piles on my bed, for their maximum convenience I guess) is usually spent with Gus using the TV to play video games while Gordon watches various Disney+ content on the tablet.
I just sat down for a quick email break with lunch and read your whole essay at once. Sending good thoughts to your family, and thank you for a lovely piece of writing and very recognizable view into the inside of a parent's/mom's brain. It's amazing at times to realize so many of us are going around with, if not necessarily the same, but similar worries and thoughts and experiences.
I love your writing. You are so reflective and honest here.
At the beginning of this year, my three year old had a terrible time transitioning to his new preschool. One day we got a behavior report that was SEVEN SCREENSHOTS LONG. I almost died. It was absolutely terrible and I felt so unable to do anything. Things are much better now, but that shame and guilt feeling of not knowing how to help is still so fresh to me.
I just sat down for a quick email break with lunch and read your whole essay at once. Sending good thoughts to your family, and thank you for a lovely piece of writing and very recognizable view into the inside of a parent's/mom's brain. It's amazing at times to realize so many of us are going around with, if not necessarily the same, but similar worries and thoughts and experiences.
I read this, alternating between “holy shit, is she in my house?” And “we need a beer-commiseration hour to discuss”.
We got The Progress Report of Doom in January and have been on a similar roller coaster. It’s so hard to navigate and manage.
Thank you for sharing💚
I love your writing. You are so reflective and honest here.
At the beginning of this year, my three year old had a terrible time transitioning to his new preschool. One day we got a behavior report that was SEVEN SCREENSHOTS LONG. I almost died. It was absolutely terrible and I felt so unable to do anything. Things are much better now, but that shame and guilt feeling of not knowing how to help is still so fresh to me.
<3