Tales of the Ordinary Days

A week ago I met with an attorney friend of mine. We were discussing a recent case he was working on involving a divorce. As he talked about the family, it was clear that the mother had no respect for the father or the father's role as one of the children's parents. She saw herself as the savior. The only. No plural in parenting in their case. It was an 'either - or'. As we conversed, the attorney who was both married and a father, looked at me and asked me a very pointed question. "Sandy, what do you think about this as a mom? Did you feel like you were the better parent and that your kids only needed you?" Taken off guard by his candidness, I initially wanted to spotlight my ways of being a great co-parent and my ex and I being outside the norm of divorced parents. A pat on the back lingered in my mind. But instead I spoke the truth. "Initially I definitely thought I was the better parent. That my kids couldn't survive without me. And then...

Airport selfie by the fab four aunt/niece/cousin combo We had a little girls weekend/mini family reunion in Denver this last weekend. Our foursome included my cousins, Angela and Angelina. And my aunt, Kathy. Who is also Angelina's mother. Kathy is always easy for me to explain. Most of my friends just see her as my friend. Which she is and is evident by our frequent excursions and togetherness over the years. I was fortunate enough to have Kathy live in Omaha again for a few years recently. My son, Ben, described Kathy as my 'go-to friend'. After asking Ben to join me for a play (I had an extra ticket that was going to go unused), he politely declined and then made a keen observation. "I bet you miss Aunt Kathy. She was your go-to friend for extra tickets and random events, wasn't she?" Yes, Ben, I do miss my go-to friend. Kathy now lives in Boise. Although our random adventure are fewer, we make up for it with our many smiles and laughs when we...