The Life Lessons I Learned When I Change My Name in First Grade
I was five years old in Miss Judy’s kindergarten when I saw my full name written out for the first time. Hilary Blake Palmer. Written in my mother’s perfectly perfect handwriting. I can see the blue book bag (all my things were blue or yellow and my sister’s were red or pink) hanging on a hook in the classroom in Miss Judy’s house. It felt so odd to see my name, to know it was my name and yet not know who this person was. For my entire life my family and friends called me by
For the Mom Who is Taken For Granted (And the One Who Wishes She Was)
My son had his winter band concert last week. The night before he asked who was coming. I told him I’d be there. “But you’re always there, who else is coming?” My kids are the lucky ones who almost always have an entourage cheering them on through concerts, plays, awards shows, ball games, recitals and any number of other performances. If an event calls for an audience, my kids’ cheering section shows up. As a kid myself I didn’t realize how fortunate I was to have parents wh
