Jen Merrill's Blog, page 14
September 24, 2016
Happy #$^%#&$ Birthday
In a year’s worth of days, there are usually a few that stand out, no? Ones you’d like to acknowledge and perhaps celebrate. Major holidays, such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, come to mind. Days like your anniversary (or Divorceiversary, if that applies). Birthdays of your children and significant other, even if, like me, you’re not …
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September 19, 2016
The rise of anti-intellectualism and its effect on our gifted kids
A disturbing trend in society is getting worse. It can be seen most notably in the current political climate, but it also has its talons in medicine, science, and education. I expect to see it dig deeper into other areas, such as the arts, as time goes on. It’s nothing new, has been happening for …
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August 31, 2016
Circle the Wagons
Way back in the early days of western expansion, settlers in their covered wagons would draw their homes on wheels into a circle at night to protect their cattle. A wagon circle wasn’t intended to be a mobile fort to battle Native Amercians and bandits (although it did serve that purpose as well), it was …
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August 26, 2016
Flashback Friday: I Want to Hug My Poor Self
Being as organized and Type-A as I am, you’d think that my files would be perfect and easy to access. You’d only be half right. I can get to any paper files or anything in Evernote in 30 seconds flat. My digital storage is a dumping ground of nightmarish proportions. If I think about it …
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August 25, 2016
Back to School: Once More Into the Breach
Despite the sultry temperatures outside, the calendar doesn’t lie and so this morning Jack hoppedon the big yellow cracker box to start 7th grade. It was a glorious summer, hot and sunny and fun and relaxing and chaotic and crazy and all things summer should be. Butdamn, I am glad school has started again. I’m …
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August 24, 2016
Why does my child’s giftedness bother you so?
Another “giftedness doesn’t matter” blog post has surfaced, this time on HuffPo, and until this morning I wasn’t sure I had the energy or stamina to respond. Eleven years of shouting into the gale-force windthat is the willfully ignorant and you get a bit tired, with a sore throat (and frustratedpsyche) that no amount of …
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July 14, 2016
Midsummer musings
Mid-July and my god I just love summer. It’s hot and humid and sunny and I’m not buried in snow or layers or midwinter gloom. There have not been socks on my feet in weeks. I have hope and happiness and don’t want to run away to warmer climes because I amin warmer climes. My …
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July 9, 2016
Fifty and counting
My entire life I heard “don’t get married in July, it’s so hot.” So, in my ONLY rebellion against my parents, I got married in July. In their defense, on their wedding day it was nearly a hundred degrees, there was no air conditioning, and times were different then. Times were fifty years ago. Today …
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July 6, 2016
The Big Two-Oh
It’s kinda cool when you find someone you can be weird with. It’s kinda awesome when you get to marry that person. And it’s really a freaking miracle when you look up one summer’s day and realize you’ve been weird with this other person for 20 years. July 6, 1996. I was achildbride. Young, innocent. …
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July 1, 2016
The hardest won victories are the sweetest
When you have a challenging, out of the box, G2e child who has never really fit in anywhere and who has been called “the most complex child I’ve ever seen in my life” by countless teachers and therapists and doctors and counselors…the victories earnedin traditional society are so much sweeter. Sweet like that first sip …
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