Crushing Monday (New York Times Piece!!)

Back in November, a writer friend told me about someone in Iowa (a friend of hers) who was looking to do an evening of readings about "Launching Your Kid." My friend said, "I bet you have something like that."

As it happens, I was working on a piece about that exact topic and this was exactly the fire under my butt I needed to actually finish it.

I wrote the story. The story changed. I wrote it again. (And then revised it a million times.) I sent it off in February, knowing I wouldn't hear anything back until late spring.

Then, in a what-the-hell moment, I sent it to the New York Times to see if there was any interest. It bounced around a little and then found a home in Word Play -- a blog about crossword puzzling that, I must admit, I had no idea existed.

I still don't know if it will be accepted for the Iowa reading, but even if it is, this is quite a different essay than I originally submitted for the Kid Launching project.

Link to The Language of Letting Go

In any case, I feel very lucky.
xo

Weather Beaten

I got another essay in the New York Times!!!!

Here's the beginning:

“I don’t want you on the road in a snowstorm,” I told my 18-year-old son, Noah. It was Wednesday, two days before his scheduled departure, even before forecasts were dire.

“It’s fine,” he said. Translation: “If the bus leaves, I plan to be on it.”

Here's the link:

https://nyti.ms/2k86Wtu

As always, thanks for reading!

JW

Seven Words I Cannot Say... (NYT Piece!)

This morning I said to my 16-year-old (a.k.a. SIXTEEN), "Do you want to read my essay? It's running in the New York Times today!!!"
HIM: Is that the one I read the other day?
ME: Yes!!!
HIM: Did you change anything?
ME: No. But it's in the Times!!!
HIM: In the actual paper?
ME: Well, no. It's online.
HIM: Mom. I read it already.

In case you're even slightly more interested than SIXTEEN, here it is: (!!!!)

The Seven Words I Cannot Say (Around My Children)

As always, thank you so much for reading.

xoxo