Each day after school I’d go home, grab a small snack and hop on my homework. I wanted to get my work done to maximize TV time after dinner. And later at the dinner table, Granny Sykes would ask, “Did you get your lesson?”
She was referring to my homework, of course. Granny wanted to be sure I was focused, learning what I was supposed to learn thoroughly – not just rushing through it to enjoy the perk of TV time.
Granny Sykes was both tough and loving. Quick to fuss at me and correct me, Granny also was one of my biggest cheerleaders. She believed in me and told me I could be whatever I wanted to be when I grew up. She’d worked incredibly hard cleaning homes of white families for many years, long before she came to live with us. She wanted the generations after her to have more options in life, and education was key.
So, she asked. And my homework got done, with neat handwriting and all.
Thirty years later, Granny’s question still lingers in my mind. A lot. But, it’s not about kiddie homework anymore. Continue reading
I remember how uncomfortable and downright ornery I’d get at times as a new mother. Despite talking with actual parents of actual babies for guidance before our firstborn arrived, I expected a newborn who would sleep all night (nope, for both our kids). I expected to feel confident as a new mom – you know, that mothering would come naturally for me (yeah, right).
Before becoming a
stretch & grow 