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For Those of You Who are Wondering
While reorganizing our home office over the last week or two, I found dozens of J’s IEPs and progress reports starting from preschool. I’ve been hoarding them like tax returns, not sure if I’m supposed to hold onto them, not sure if I’ll ever need to pull out an IEP from, say, 2008 or if any of that information is still useful. I’ve decided to keep those files for now, and maybe read through all of those reports again in preparation for J’s annual IEP in the next few weeks. J has made significant progress thanks to early intervention, but who knows—maybe there are some underlying trends that are…
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Taylor Swift, Hipsters, and Feeling Understood
Last Monday, while shopping at Zandbroz, (the best little bookstore/place for funky eclectic gifts and décor in Fargo), someone in the store switched up the music and suddenly I heard Ryan Adams strumming and singing Taylor Swift’s “Bad Blood ” above my head. It was early afternoon and the store was pretty dead. I placed my merchandise on the counter and decided to make small talk with the cashier. As the cashier swiped my credit card, I asked, “So do you sell the Ryan Adams 1989 album too?” “No,” he said turning bright red under his grizzly hipster beard. “We don’t sell the music we play in the store.” “Oh,”…
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W, Teen Vogue, and New Territory
This week a fuschia envelope arrived in the mailbox, addressed exclusively to “W,” inviting her to sign up for a year’s worth of Teen Vogue and I thought W? Our W? Teen Vogue you’ve got this girl all wrong. This girl is into dirt and butterflies and sap samples. She loves books and her microscope kit. I have to remind this girl to brush her hair every morning before she leaves our house or else she won’t do it. Her mind is nowhere near fashion, beauty, and celebrities. This girl doesn’t even have her own cell phone. She’s turning 11 this week. But Teen Vogue’s calling card made me realize that things are changing. W starts middle…
