Every day, every week, every month, ever year, every Father’s Day, there are new memories about my Dad. It says a lot about William Benfield Armstrong who left us 18 years ago. I’ve heard the question for years. In high… Read More ›
growing up
MR. ROGERS AS PARENTING GURU – BY ELLIN CURLEY
My mother was a psychologist who originally specialized in child psychology. Throughout life, I had a personal role model for parenting through the way she treated me and from what she actually taught me about relating to children. Her philosophy… Read More ›
A ROAD HOME – Marilyn Armstrong
I grew up in a semi-rural nook in the middle of Queens, New York. The city had surrounded us leaving a tiny enclave walking distance from the subway. The house was more than a hundred years old. It had been… Read More ›
TO CAMP OR NOT TO CAMP – Marilyn Armstrong
FOWC with Fandango — Camp I always wanted to go camping. All my friends went camping. My brother and sister went camping. I so envied them. I stayed home. My mother felt camp was where you sent a child that needed… Read More ›
YEARS OF BRASS, YEARS OF GOLD – Marilyn Armstrong
I’m not one of those people who romanticizes the “old days,” but there are some truths worth remembering and revisiting. I grew up in a different world. Play meant imagination. Physical activity. Jump rope, hide and seek, tag, Stickball because… Read More ›
SWINGING THE PICK – Marilyn Armstrong
FOWC with Fandango — Pick The summer of my 13th year, my girlfriends and I discovered that there had once been a swimming pool in the front yard of a neighbors’ house. We immediately decided to clear it out and make… Read More ›
ADULTING 101 – BY ELLIN CURLEY
I read a fascinating article from Today, on Facebook. It was written by Meghan Holohan on March 29, 2019, and is titled “ ‘Adulting’ Class at Kentucky high school teaches crucial life skills.” What a great concept! I’ve always thought… Read More ›
DEFIANCE OR DETERMINATION? – Marilyn Armstrong
So I found this question on Facebook and it brought back a deluge of memories. Hey moms, I’m in desperate need of help. I’m at my wit’s end with my lovely little defiant child. I love him lots, but enough… Read More ›
SUMMER CAMP NIGHTMARE – BY ELLIN CURLEY
Ellin is away all day, but will answer comments when she gets back this evening! It’s that time of year 😀 Most people wax poetic when they talk about their idyllic summers at sleep-away camp when they were kids. Tennis,… Read More ›
LET THE CHILDREN PLAY – BY ELLIN CURLEY
The title of an article I read in the Washington Post on September 16, 2018, by Katherine Marsh, sets out its primary argument pretty clearly. “ We’ve so over-scheduled our kids that doctors are now prescribing playtime.” The article is… Read More ›
GROWING UP WITH McCARTHY – Garry Armstrong
This is one I never intended to share. It had been buried in the deepest part of the memory chest I never planned to revisit. I was branded a “pinko” as a kid. I grew up in an era when… Read More ›
DON’T BE AFRAID TO LET THEM SHOW – Rich Paschall
True Colors by Rich Paschall, Sunday Night Blog It’s hard to grow up with the perception that you are different from everyone else, even if it is not really so. When you do not know much about the outside world,… Read More ›
