How To Talk To Little Boys

Thursday, May 3, 2012 How To Talk To Little Boys My friend Oliver is 12 years old. I give his single mom a break every now and then, and he comes over to hang out. He's a whiz on a skateboard, has some killer dance moves, and radiates angelic sweetness. "You're a good person," he said to me once, apropos of nothing, getting me all choked up. He sees the best in everyone, though his own life has included years in a homeless shelter and an abusive dad. Recently, I saw Oliver on a sunny California day. We were outside at the pool, eating watermelon and relaxing. He loves to talk about his Xbox or Weird Al YouTube videos. Instead of going there, I asked Oliver, "Read any good books lately?" In response, he mumbled, "I guess." Books aren't Oliver's thing. I know he'd rather talk about basketball, or sneakers, but I wouldn't, and I was on a mission. Why Some Mothers Plan To Disappear On Mother's Day LOOK: These Are Your Kids On ... 9 Ways To Help Parents Raising Children With Special Needs Dad Rescues Daughter From Day Care WATCH: Genius 3-Year-Old Makes It Into Mensa! BLOG POSTS Lisa Belkin: Parents Aren't Eating As Healthy As They Should -- Stop The Presses Nutrition is one of the many examples of how parents want children to do as we say and not what we do (particularly when what we are doing is scarfing the leftover bits of chicken nuggets as we carry the plates to the dishwasher.) Nicola Kraus: Motherhood Expands You Motherhood that expands us. Expands our definition of ourselves. The impossible becomes possible. We thrive on less sleep, less sex and fewer breaks than we ever thought we could. Jenny Block: Is it Wise to Be BFFs with Your Teen Daughter? I've always done parenting by feel. I know what I didn't like as a kid. I know what I like that other people do. I know the kids and parents I like and the kind of relationships that they have. Clare Winterton: Jessica Simpson and The Acceptable 'Shape' of Modern Motherhood Our bellies are our mementos of our most meaningful experiences and of our narratives as mothers -- and they are beautiful. Dr. Gregory Jantz, Ph.D.: A Mother's Hunch and A Doctor's Mistake

MOST POPULAR ON HUFFINGTONPOST.COM Dad Smashes Window To Rescue 3-Year-Old Locked In Day Care Girl With Deformed Face Teaches Parents A Life Lesson Avery Canahuati, Whose 'Bucket List' Raised Awareness for SMA, Dies

If you believe this has been sent to you in error, please safely unsubscribe.