I suppose it’s natural that people who feel themselves powerless and ineffectual most of their lives would at some point begin to think about power. Josh and I have certainly begun to do so. There was a time when I would have scorned to think about power – my instincts are all for independence and in my maturity I have never wished to control anyone. It comes clear to me now that this is precisely why we have to think about power – in order to protect and promote independence.… Read more Evil Thefts and Virtuous Expansions of Power →
Children come into this world serious beings. I know this is true because I watch Johnny, and once watched younger siblings, in their serious endeavors. Always the very young are seeking to acquire skills and accomplish feats. No one blames them that their goals are meaningless in the wider scheme of things. We know they are trying instinctually to become fully human. Now why does this attitude peter out so quickly? Why do teens, for instance, talk unendingly of fun and we young adults complain of the effort it takes to accomplish our little… Read more The Efforts of Children Superior to Today’s Adult →
Forget the experts for a moment – the truly wonderful thing about baby talk is that my baby loves it! No, he doesn’t seem to know it’s silly. And in fact I’m not sure it is. Like everything Johnny and I do together, it’s quite serious. Not glum, dull, drudgish, or somber. Serious as in meaningful. I recently read an article from a University extension newlestter suggesting that some babytalk is necessary, natural, and useful. Calling a dog a doggie would help to emphasize the ‘g’ sound to an as-yet undiscriminating ear. Calling… Read more Beware the Doo-mious Mama-snatch… →
My one-year-old son, Johnny, is a merry little soul. I read a sentence somewhere about “the solid, unkillable children of the poor” and that reminds me of him. We are not destitute but Scottie and I both come from lower-middle-class families and Johnny has not exactly had all the advantages. He gets plenty to eat, people give him second-hand toys (but he loves the yellow duckie I got him from the dollar store best) and we keep his bedroom heated even when the rest of the house is cold. And somehow I was… Read more A Merry Little Soul →
Slow Literature 