Child discovers one of the central struggles of identity
It must be odd, the first time you realize that you’ve never actually looked at your own real face, and that most of the time, the face you see is backwards from your actual face. I also still think about it all the time, and I’m 42 years older than Kina.
Sometimes I think this newspaper is just a safe way to talk about how being a kid is basically like being wildly stoned.
bedtime child lukewarm on Daddy’s heartwarming tale of Puppy going on a hilarious bender in San Francisco
I dunno, I just thought it would be funny to imagine her stuffed puppy out carousing in San Francisco circa 2018, after that one time we lost him on the playground in the Mission and I had to get another one express-delivered to our AirBnB, and Kina asked why he was so… clean.
They exchange notes on “clock time” and “event time” in an attempt to convince her to brush her teeth
As the most clock-oriented person in our household, Laurea often has a difficult time relating to the meandering flow of her roommates’ morning routines. Kina responds with frustration when Laurea tells her she can play for five more minutes before brushing her teeth, no matter how kindly her mother delivers the ultimatum. This often prompts Kina to simply start her dawdling anew, in an effort to reach whatever state of calm she was seeking in the first place—which just brings Laurea back to the timer, which restarts the whole process.
The other day, Laurea brought to me the notion of “clock time versus event time”, which seemed like a revelation to both of us in some ways but is actually a fairly well-documented differentiator of social structures.
In short, Laurea is on clock time—driven by schedules that are locked to a globally-agreed-upon and highly specific thing we invented and that Kina and I have never fully understood.
child deploys favorite new phrase of deep disappointment
What makes it extra funny is that she mutters “aw shoot” just milliseconds after she is disappointed, which suggests that she uses “aw shoot” when she already knows it’s gone south.
End of Spring Break means she gets to see Mr Ortiz
It has become something of a tradition for us to forget to plan an actual vacation during Spring Break, and this year was no exception. It is also typically the case, though, that Kina’s break is eventful and pleasant—and again, this year was no exception. She saw her little cousin Otis, her Lala, her Yeh-yeh and Grandma; she visited her Daddy’s real newspaper job; she gave me a high five at my first half marathon; she saw the Cloisters with Hannah; and she picked a bunch of tulips she ought not to have.
And despite all that action, she was thrilled to go back to school yesterday, if only to see her favorite teacher in the world, Ricky Ortiz, who celebrated his birthday just as his entire second grade class returned from the rest of the world (or, in Kina’s case, various local playgrounds). She had prepared for him an elaborate card with chocolates and modeling clay taped to it—things she said he would love, and when we dropped her off at the school gate, she bolted towards the gym as fast as she could, so that she could be the very first kid in line.
Kina is lucky to love school; not every kid gets it. I’m glad we have been able to instill a love for community and learning in her, but I have to give credit where it’s due. The teachers she’s had have been astonishing, inspiring, and loving; Mr. Ortiz stands tall among the giants, and Kina adores him. Thanks and Happy Birthday to Our Publisher’s favorite second-grade teacher. She could not stop talking about you.
publisher rushes late edition to press after Daddy leaves early for race
Daddy had to leave the newsroom at 7 AM today to run the Brooklyn Half Marathon, where he was showered with high fives and flowers by a rogue spectator.
on a stroll with Mommy and Lala during workday, child addresses imaginary Daddy to be more inclusive
Sometimes, Kina slips and calls me “Mommy”, or calls Laurea “Daddy”, as she did yesterday—but now she allows herself the possibility of having a conversation with the invisible version of the missing parent. Is Air Daddy me? Is Air Daddy my mortal enemy? Let’s not find out.
for “Take Your Kids To Work Day”, Kina lays out her very own A1, writes opinion essay titled “Parents Should Not Have To Go To Work”
I am not sure what Kina liked most—the activities they scheduled for her at work, including exclusive interview opportunities with famous journalists, the morning bike ride to the office, or the chance to wear matching outfits with me in public. She spent the morning today interviewing Laurea about her job, so the activities must have made an impact. Journalism forever!
Upon correctly ID’ing Daddy, Child observes that “Mommy’s just not that hairy”; hairy-pheromoned Daddy objects
When I, a super-smeller, identified notes of burning rubber on Kina’s wrist, it led to a cascade of tears and apologies that lasted nearly twenty minutes.
daddy puzzled by soft-serve-averse gymnast; a highly unusual case!
One of Kina’s famous 4-hour fevers forced her to delay eating ice cream until after a nap. Also: her main beef with the first ice cream was that it was too crunchy.
