Magic in Mundane

April 13, 2015

I’ve been spending a lot of time lately with toddlers and preschoolers who are masters at making adults slow their inner, tyrannical clock-ticking and focus on the present moment. Being forced into this time-out zone is a gift. In fact, it’s the kind of gift I always promise to give myself but almost never do because I usually chase a to-do list and rush through my days aiming for productivity.


( Charlotte blending joyfully into a bed of white snow drop flowers on the "elephant" walk.)

In Brain Pickings Weekly’s recent edition (April 12, 2015), Maria Popova explores this modern nightmare “in which we’re mining every last frontier of sanity and stillness for the tiniest nugget of precious efficiency.” Popova writes that “even if we know that we habitually miss most of what is going on around us, we rarely break our busy gait on the hamster wheel of goal-chasing.” Spend a couple of days with a 4-year-old, a 2 ½-year-old and a 16-month-old and just see how inefficient but magical your day becomes.


( Finn discovering the exhilaration of swinging.)

On Saturday, I caught the “magic in the mundane” shadowing the youngest, Evie, in Anderson Park, Upper Montclair, NJ. With sun shining, grass growing and people galore picnicking, playing soccer and walking the paths, she was giddy with glee, running from stranger to stranger she greeted as new friends. Her big word right now is “Hi.” On my own, I would have been on a mission to hike around the park and head right back to finish up something or other. No fun. As it turned out, the ordinarily quick walk home took hours because Evie needed to explore every inch of the way. And in order to enjoy the journey myself, I had to suspend time. Popova says that “even something as simple as a walk can be, as Thoreau believed, ‘a sort of crusade,’ – but we get to choose whether to crusade for productivity or presence.”


( Evie is in love with being outside after the long winter inside.)

Check out Brain Pickings . You will love it. And read “Hurry Up and Wait: Daniel Handler and Maira Kalman’s Whimsical Children’s Book for Grown Ups about Presence in the Age of Productivity.”

What's in a Baby's Facial Expression

July 18, 2017
Alexander Stone Carr was born on Dec. 16, 2016 and I met this newest – my fifth! – grandchild moments after his birth in the middle of a long night. He stared intently, wide-awake and alert, into his mother’s eyes and actually grabbed for a necklace Maggie was wearing. Both wore falling-in-love-at-first-sight facial expressions that were absolutely priceless. And since then, Alex has only grown even more expansive in the way he can speak volumes with his little face using every muscle available, even his eyebrows going up and down in what looks like real wisdom. I mean, honestly, how did he know how to smile and make eye contact at the perfect moments? He’s also talking baby gibberish, chatting seriously about what’s on his mind…though we don’t understand a word he is saying as yet. His pure joy at being here is apparent to all, even complete strangers who engage with him.

Thanks Mom...Understanding Attachment Theory

January 9, 2017
Maggie had a baby boy, Alexander Stone Carr. Here they are on day 1...learning to love and totally attached to one another.

Don't Knock Nesting Instinct

October 20, 2016
My daughter Maggie is going to have a little boy on or about December 22 of this year. She is absolutely thrilled and absolutely caught up in nesting instinct imperatives. Please don’t knock them. “Maternal nest-building is regulated by the hormonal actions of estradiol, progesterone and prolactin,” according to Wikipedia which references a study in the Journal of Neuroendocrinology .

Sibling Rivalry Never Grows Old

September 15, 2016
This morning one of my siblings sent an exasperating “dig” my way. I’m one of six children and right in the middle of the pack. I should be used to family dynamics by now – after all, I’m 67 – but of course, I’m not. What is absolutely extraordinary in this ordinary world of family life, is that sibling rivalry never grows old.

Extraordinary Liars

August 11, 2016
My grandchildren are incapable of lying. Even if I have broken unwritten rules while babysitting and allowed them to pick anything they want to eat at the Red Store, Finn and Charlotte will share the news of their secret treats immediately with their mother. “Guess what Grammy let us have?!”

Don't Pick on Picky Eaters

July 13, 2016
I’ve had generations of experience with what society likes to call “picky eaters.” My father had very touchy taste buds, for instance, and would carefully separate the miniscule pieces of minced onion my mother had chopped so finely into her beef stroganoff. That little pile on the side of his plate after he had finished his meal was a dead giveaway. We six children grew up knowing that dad would only eat certain foods. So when my son Zach – even as an infant – showed picky-eater tendencies, I was alarmed at first. Advice-givers, medical professionals, well-meaning relatives as well as total strangers, were everywhere. It took some research to be able to withstand the onslaught from all sides. Zach is healthy, happy and brilliant. He didn’t eat his peas. So what.

Why Crying Is Good for You

June 29, 2016
I cry easily at happy, sad or any kind of emotional occasion. Last Monday, all three of my grandchildren cried at different points during what was actually a wonderful day. From a sibling squabble between Finn, 5, and Charlotte, almost 4, to the emotional frustration experienced by their cousin Evie at 2, the tears fell. I often beat myself up about how easily my tears show up. My older sister reminds me that when I cry I lose all my power. Damn those tears! Or maybe not?

Positive Emotions = Smarter & Healthier

May 3, 2016
Watching my grandchildren at play on Saturday sent me on a quest to research just how powerful happy playfulness can be. Finn, 5, Charlotte, 3 and Evie, 2, were having so much fun that I overheard Ev say, “I love playing.” I expected to find research that supported the importance of play for growing children but stumbled upon the brilliant work of social psychologist Barbara L. Fredrickson, PhD, now at the University of North Carolina. Play and the positive emotions accompanying it, are critical for adults’ physical health and intellectual well-being.

Mother-Baby Bond: Priceless!

January 11, 2016

The Grandmother Effect

October 1, 2015
I’ve been doing a lot of babysitting the last few months and there is nothing more rewarding and exhausting. There is certainly a biological reason for motherhood being reserved for the younger generation. Don’t even try to talk to me after a 12-hour day with a toddler. I am so tired that I can hardly think straight. But I wouldn’t want it any other way. Not only am I growing closer and more in love with all three of my grandchildren but it turns out that my natural instinct as a grandmother to want to help my children raise their children has evolutionary rewards for all.
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