11 mins read

I Survived the PTA – Here’s What I Learned

I received an e-mail from the school’s PTA saying that they needed volunteers to help pass out iPads and laptops to students, I signed up, glad to feel like I still able to get involved in the school community, while also hoping to catch a glimpse of my son’s future environment. (All I got was a peek inside the gym, as we were stationed outside to distribute the students’ devices.)

6 mins read

Why We Should Let Our Kids Fail

As parents, our natural instinct is to protect our children from harm, disappointment and failure. But doing so is not always in our kids best interests.When my son was in fourth grade, his Little League team– a team we affectionately called the Bad News Bears – was on a 0-7-game losing streak with no apparent signs of a mid-season comeback. After a particularly dreadful loss, he threw his baseball cap to the ground and told …

8 mins read

An Open Letter To Donald Sterling From A Multiracial Mom

Mr. Sterling,I have four children that are all sports fans. My oldest daughter is a Los Angeles Lakers fan. My other three are Los Angeles Clippers fans. We are a house divided by the sports teams we love and follow.But this week, we were united in sadness. While watching television, the kids and I heard the racially charged audiotapes that your multiracial girlfriend, V.Stiviano, made of you rambling on about black people …

3 mins read

The Substitute

  On Saturday morning I took my son to the neighborhood barber for a much-needed haircut.  After much protesting and eye-rolling, he agreed that his curly hair was out of control.  Two weeks of wrangling with it unsuccessfully was enough to get him in the chair and see if the barber could reach that happy…