Independence
August 1, 2005
Fledgling
My son is two years old. Just that one sentence should tell you that I'm getting quite the refresher course in independence these days. As kids do at this age, he's discovering his own identity as an individual, and as parents do at this stage, I'm feeling the bittersweet twinge of another of my baby birds venturing out of the nest. Read more.
In Praise of Dependence
by Victoria Musgrave
My independence was something I'd always taken for granted. It never occurred to me that there might be a time when I'd need to rely on others to help me with the daily business of life. I enjoyed my self-sufficiency. I lived on my own and relished being able to do what I wanted, when I wanted. I loved being able to come home and not have to explain to anyone where I'd been or what I'd been doing. I could leave dirty dishes in the sink or eat ice cream straight out of the carton and there was no one around to complain. Read more.
Moving Out
by Marian Klatt
I didn't move out of my mother's house until I was twenty-four--that's five years ago now--so true independence came a bit late for me. Technically, it wasn't my mother's house, because we rented, and my grandmother and I paid more of the bills than my mother did. She was a single parent, though, and I an only child, so to keep this simple, I'll say I moved out of my mother's house when I was twenty-four. Read more.
Green Belt
by Brittany Burcham
"Karibu!" The women of Mugoiri Parish excitedly welcomed strangers from the other side of the world with singing and dancing. As the Baylor women's leadership team stepped off the bus, they were hugged and kissed as if old friends returning home from a long journey. Although the women from the separate cultures had never met, a common bond was found through the global idea that a strong female community can change the world for the better. Read more.
Human Evolution
Yesterday as I stepped off the elevator I heard a little girl who couldn't have been more than six or seven years old regaling her parents with tales of all the things she could do when she turned 21. She could drive a car wherever she wanted to go! She could pay for anything she wanted with a credit card! She could wear nail polish every day! Read more.