Category Archive

My husband and I joke that our older son, Max, is going to spend his third and fourth years in time out. He’s independent, curious and stubborn. It’s likely a winning combination for a successful life, but also one that results in his spending many extended bouts fidgeting in time out.

Sure, the time outs are as much for us as they are for him. They’re breaks from the whining, from the frustration, from each other. And it affords us a fresh start. Often, Max’s time-out-inducing behavior mirrors our own. Or funny mirrors it. But it’s a reflection. If I’m hormonal, tired, cranky, he’s going to be needy, clingy, stomping. He’ll want me to play with him. Now. Across the room. No matter that I have taken my first, blissful bite of breakfast. And so things heat up. And then they cool down, in time out.

This blog is meant to be my own version of time out. While I no longer have whole days to get lost in creative writing, I do have 35 minutes, which is (ahem) my age, and therefore the length of my time outs. (That’s the way it works in our house: Max is 3, so he gets 3 minutes.)

Some days I’ll spend my 35 minutes analyzing my kids’ latest escapades. Other days I’ll ponder the juggling life of mom, employee, wife, family member, volunteer, etc. Occasionally, I’ll look back to when I was a kid, or a teen, or a young adult, when I was also spending moments in self-inflicted time outs, but focusing instead on writing poetry… or pining over boys. Or both. (Stories for another time.) I will try to incorporate local, national or international angles. But right now, the personal is often political enough.

Thank you for spending these moments with me. I hope they will help you cool off from your life, too.

Jodi Werner Greenwald

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