Estranged Parents Can Be Real Jerks

I’ve been at my desk this week long enough to check email, keep up with scheduling changes, and invoice some freelance articles. Otherwise, I’ve been what I call “otherwise occupied.”

• Playing with toy trains

• Setting up a yard sprinkler

• Visiting playgrounds

• Napping in the hammock

• and cobblering a lot of berries and peaches

I’m an “Oma” four times over and am grateful to have time with my littles this summer. This week, it means time mostly off to savor simple joys with them and lend a hand to their parents. My kids are spread to the four winds, and we’ve navigated distance, trauma, expense, and employment barriers, so this time is rare and precious. I’m also getting a vivid glimpse this summer of what young parents face right now, and pondering the various facets of estrangement.