The Empty Piggy Banks

Making allowances for no allowance.

The members of my household and I have been engaging in the same conversation, a few times a year, for quite a few years now. The conversation seldom varies and usually begins when a child – who has his/her eye on something special – requests an allowance. Child: “Hey, why don’t we get an allowance every week? Lots of other kids get money from their parents.” Parent: “Because you don’t actually do any chores. I will consider giving you a weekly allowance when you consider working to earn it.”  Child:  “I do stuff. I clear my plate after dinner and put away clean clothes. I do other things too, sometimes, I just can’t think of the other things that I sometimes do.” Parent: “Yes, well those paltry contributions do not warrant an allowance. …

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A Tale of Two Playgrounds

Too soon to cry foul.

Upon hearing last week that Belmont's annual Town Meeting approved $100,000 of Community Preservation Act funds to be directed toward the Winn Brook’s playground – also known as “Joey’s Park” – some within the Butler Elementary School community were left feeling bewildered. But let me back up a bit. In November 2011, safety concerns led to inspections of both the Butler and Winn Brook playgrounds. The inspectors determined that both playgrounds were no longer “up to code.”  However, while Joey’s Park was worked on by the Belmont Department of Public Works and reopened, Butler’s playground was immediately taped off and, soon thereafter, completely demolished. Butler’s Parent Teacher Association had been in the process of earnestly trying to…

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Slices of Life

Living in the Aftermath of Terror

An eventual answer to a hard question.

My dear friend Robin was out of the country last week, vacationing with her family, when all hell broke loose in Boston and then, a few days later, in Cambridge and Watertown.  On her way home from the airport Saturday night – she lives in New Hampshire – she texted me:  “We’ve been thinking about you guys all week. Are you OK?”   Robin’s question stopped me cold. I found myself staring at my cell phone for a few minutes willing it to create a reply on its own. Since this was implausible, I eventually replied:  “We’re fine, thanks. How was vacation?” As a mode of communication, texting clearly does not lend itself to thoughtful responses. Especially when the question pertains to how one is coping in the face of horror, grief, nearby shoot-…

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Slices of Life

Sleepover Politics

On the political beliefs of sleep-deprived ten-year-olds.

Happy April Vacation! I hope your week is going well.  In our house, we started off the spring recess by hosting a sleepover.  My ten-year-old daughter invited two of her best Butler buddies to our home for a night that consisted more of squealing than sleeping. The evening’s activities varied from nail painting to Taylor Swift karaoke to snacking (about every 9 minutes) to videoing each other singing and back to nail painting, where the old color was removed and a new (and presumably better) color was applied. It was during the pancake breakfast the next morning that the girls left behind their innocuous Taylor Swift chatter and entered into the realm of a serious political discussion. Their conversation went something like this: Girl 1…

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Slices of Life

Reflections on My Two Years as a Patch Columnist

Things learned, columns remembered, what the future holds.

Two years ago this week, I timorously submitted my very first “Slice of Life” column for publication – or whatever it is called when it’s online – in Belmont Patch. Since I have not skipped one Tuesday since I began in April of 2011, I am guessing I have written a bit more than 100 columns. In that first column, I laid out for readers what they would find in the “Slice of Life” space. “What will you encounter here?  Well, slice of life essays. You know, musings on motherhood, life in Belmont, the struggle to locate last season’s soccer cleats (in time for the first practice!), all that.” Allow me to pause this week and answer some questions that I am frequently asked about my experience as a Patch columnist. Q: What have you learned in the…

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Slices of Life

Removing Fear from the School Security Debate

How should a safety system proceed when the facts show that Newtown isn't coming to your school?

On Wednesday morning last week, I caught sight of my seventh grader’s lunch bag on the floor of the car. It must have slipped out of her backpack during the harried morning drop-off. Time was a bit tight, but I figured I’d better get it over to the Chenery Middle School so she’d have it in time for the lunch period. I pulled up on Washington Street and dashed to the front door knowing I’d be in and out in under a minute.  As I approached the door, I encountered a sign informing me that this entrance was no longer in use for visitors; I was instructed to go to the backdoor. "Sigh." I jumped into my car and headed to the back of the school, where I now faced several parking challenges. “On street” parking was pretty full up, and the staff …

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Slices of Life

Why I’m Voting for Elyse Shuster

Talking with a candidate for School Committee

While I typically do not explore matters pertaining to local politics in this column, I feel compelled this week to write a few words in support of School Committee candidate Elyse Shuster. Elyse and I first met when we served together on the Foundation for Belmont Education Program Committee. The charge of this committee is to read and rank the grants that have been submitted by teachers, principals, and administrators from across the system. Without question, Elyse’s insights into this process were among the most discerning and informative. She was able to draw on her educational background (a Masters degree in History and a teaching certificate in Middle School Social Studies), as well as her professional experience as an educator, in …

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Slices of Life

Calling Dr. Google

On second thought, best to call the real doctor.

It had been a month or more since I had last seen my friend, Clara, so I was happy to meet her for tea at Starbucks recently. After we exchanged pleasantries, she confessed she had just passed through a harrowing week.  It seems Clara had experienced searing abdominal pain that had kept her awake for several nights in a row. She had found herself with no appetite and absolutely no energy. “And then,” she added, “on the third night of writhing in pain, I made the mistake of googling my symptoms.  A few clicks on the computer and it became abundantly clear what I had: either ovarian or pancreatic cancer. Four-to-six months was all I had left. I was a wreck.” "Did you, um, see your doctor?" I inquired. “Oh, yes. I’m fine. The doctor said it …

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A Foundation for Belmont Education Shout Out

Thanks for 20 years of making a difference! Now, what should I wear?

Did you know that Belmont’s biggest annual fundraiser is coming up – and that “everyone who’s anyone” will be turning out for it if they can still scrounge a ticket? Yes, the annual dinner event sponsored by the Foundation for Belmont Education (FBE) is not only a terrific way town members can contribute to our schools, it’s also the premier social event of the season here. When I first became a public school parent – almost a decade ago – I had no clue what the FBE was all about. Sure, the role of the local PTA/PTO’s was fairly clear, and I had a decent sense of what a School Committee’s function was. But the FBE – well, it was a murky concept. I remember wondering: Who’s in this group? What exactly is their role in education? Then, …

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Slices of Life

Recoiling from the Grim Reaper

The third – and last – installment of my “downer" series.

My father-in-law Frank checks in with his kids and their families, via telephone, almost every Sunday evening. When he called this past Sunday, one of the first things he said upon my answering the phone was:  “I’m fine and everyone is still alive.” This may seem like an odd opening statement, but Frank’s last surviving sister and her husband of 62 years are both ill, very ill.  As a result, we are braced to receive sad news, specifically about sweet Uncle Vinnie, sooner rather than later. Their passing, whenever that should come, will not constitute a tragedy. They will have lived full and long lives and will not have suddenly “gone gently into that good night.” Nevertheless, their absence will leave a huge hole in the hearts of all those…

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