When I received this week’s question, it sounded very familiar. I looked back through my past columns and found two on the subject, one from September 2007 and one from September 2019. Some life challenges are timeless. The question from today follows.The first question is from 2007:Q. I’m ...
I loved going back to school as a child. Last school year was challenging in many ways. I asked some of the children in my Nonnie book series focus groups to share their feelings about returning to school.These children are not a random sample, but they do reflect the optimism of youth. I hope ...
Q. Why are people hating my mom? She’s a nurse. She works in a COVID-19 unit. She’s been there forever, like since the pandemic. She worries about me and my brothers. She changes and showers before she touches us. She wears all kinds of gear at work to protect us. She’s vaccinated, so is ...
Q. Am I the only kid worried about going back to school? Most kids I know are all excited and stuff, but I’m scared to death.I loved virtual school.I didn’t need to worry about how I dressed or if people would make fun of me for how I dressed or what I had for lunch or the way my older ...
Q. I hope you remember me. I was a teen mom in the 1990s. You were my teacher and my doula. I’ve moved away and haven’t been in touch, but something just happened that made me write to you.You see, the baby I had when I was 15 is now 26. She’s expecting her first child. We’re very ...
While preparing for our Common Ground Teen Center Writing Club, I found responses to a prompt I gave a few years ago to a group of my favorite students – middle schoolers. I share them to brighten your day.The question was: If you could change anything in your life, what would you do to bring ...
