This week I used one of those new fangled umbrellas, the kind that closes ‘up’ instead of down, so that when you are getting into your car or your house, water isn’t dumped all over you. You would think I…
Author: Jaye Watson
8 Things Our Kids Will Never Do
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: growing up, independence, jiffy pop popcorn, middle age, middle age motherhood, motherhood, new umbrellas, parenthood, puberty, tv antennas, wall-e
Egg, meet Chicken
“Mom, what’s a period?” My 12 year old son looks up from his homework. We’ve had ‘the talk.’ I am proud to say I was incredibly detailed and blunt, so much so that there were moments when his jaw was hanging…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: growing up, menstruation, middle age motherhood, periods, sex talk, the talk, tweens
Iris
I am holding his hand, but I can’t form words. In truth, there is nothing to say. It occurs to me it has been a full day since we have spoken to each other. It’s a blistering hot day, and I…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: bone infection, cancer scare, childhood cancer, children's healthcare of atlanta, health scare, joshua tree, motherhood, parenthood, U2
Mayday
You saunter in looking all pretty and sunshiney, all fresh cut grassy with flowers blooming everywhere, but behind your back you’re toting yards and yards of rope that you will use to hogtie, hamstring, and incapacitate us, so that by the…
When…
I am sitting next to her in the front seat of our metallic blue Chevy Monte Carlo, my bare feet dangling above the floorboards, the backs of my skinny legs sticking to the vinyl seat. My mother is at the…
Posted in Off the Air
Splintered
I am four people away from getting my single Friday night margarita when I see my husband frantically waving me out of line at our favorite taco joint. I had been deep in conversation with a dad behind me who…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: adulting, margaritas, middle age motherhood, motherhood, parenthood, parenting, pity party, splinter in the butt, splinters, tacos
About A Boy
Epiphany is a big word. We’ve all had them, the aha moment that awakens you to a new truth. For my friend Jake Burke, his epiphany happened in the middle of a McDonald’s six years ago. “We were in line…
Starbucks Shot o’ Truth
Yesterday I received a FB message from a friend of mine who was at Starbucks during what is normally a packed morning rush. ‘I’m sitting at one of the busiest Starbucks in Atlanta at the intersection of Mansell Rd and…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: americans, boycottstarbucks, division, drinkstarbucks, hate, hiring refugees, howard schultz, information, refugees, starbucks, travel ban, trump, truth, veterans
Week 1
It has been one week. For some of you, it’s the week your country started heading in a better direction. For others, it’s the week that everything you care about went to hell in a hand basket. We are…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: choice, divided, divided country, division, facebook, freedom, inauguration, liberty, marching, media, politics, social media, trump, women's march
Second Act
I was about a mile from my house when I noticed it. A tiny bug on the windshield of my car that had likely been there since I pulled out of my driveway. His veiny, delicate cellophane wings were flapping…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: 2nd act, career change, decisions, job change, leaving, life choices, midlife, next chapter
The Outside In
He definitely wasn’t reading. He kept flipping through the same pages, stopping and pretending to read, his eyes darting up to look around every 30 seconds or so. He was tucked into one of the few comfy chairs, one hand…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: brotherhood, christmas, coffee, depression, faith, fellow man, goodwill toward men, holiday depression, homelessness, loneliness, outsiders, peace on earth, spirit of christmas, starbucks
In Between
Many years ago I stood in the doorway of my new studio apartment, one of my best friends facing me. We stared at each other, wordless, tears streaming down our faces. I didn’t want to close the door, because then it…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: bullying, clinton, election, facebook, friendships, post election, transition, trump
A Plea
The low point for me was when a neighbor had a sign stolen from her yard and posted about it in the security section of our neighborhood website. Fifty commenters chastised her for the name on that sign. They made…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: a plea, clinton, election day, electoral college, facebook, general election, hate, kindness, presidential election, social media, swing states, the day after, trump, vote, voting
Ugly Vote
As a critic of people who try to portray perfection on social media, I need to call out — myself. I posted this photo yesterday after I voted. There we are, the mommy and her children, blissed out by the…
Kissing Frogs
My excuse for telling my 9 year old daughter who she should marry is that I was delirious. It happened as she was kissing me good night and tucking me in. I get up at 2 am for my job,…
Posted in Off the Air Tagged with: daddy daughter, dating, father daughter, first love, getting married, growing up, mom advice, motherhood
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