I’ve read enough parenting books to understand that modeling behavior is often the most effective way of teaching kids how to comport themselves in the world. Want your kids to say please and thank you? Then make sure you are also using those magic words. (This is still only guaranteed to work 12% of the time, if you’re lucky. But keep trying. At least that’s what I tell myself.) There are all sorts of other examples, and they aren’t necessarily behavior related. Sometimes kids need to see what their parents enjoy doing, to figure out who those parents are, and to help figure out what kinds of people they, in turn, want to be.

And it struck me recently that Scarlett must have no idea how much I used to enjoy spending time alone. After all, she never sees me do it.

I’m not talking about when I wheel into my bedroom to read a book on my iPad and escape the madness of our full house for half an hour. I’m not talking about my angsty teen years, partially spent listening to Tori Amos and Pearl Jam in my attic bedroom, craving the solitude that one needs when they share a bathroom with 5 other people. Read More>