The Hidden Stress of Being a Sports Parent

July 18, 2023 by Heather Reid in adulting, kids, sports

Navigating my own anxieties and the desire for perfection and learning to celebrate the small victories and the invaluable lessons sports bring to my children's lives.

Summer's Sweet Surrender

June 18, 2023 by Heather Reid in celebrations, food, kids, memories

Summer rewrites the rulebook on meals, transforming strict dietary guidelines into moments of spontaneous joy and indulgence. It's a season of ice cream dinners, park picnics, and late-night smores, celebrating the simple pleasures with family.

First Days and Letting Go

September 20, 2021 by Heather Reid in education, family, fashion, kids, momlife

My mother wrote letters to my grandmother almost weekly for many years; her perfect handwriting documented the quotidian events raising the four of us in the decades before email and the internet. They were carefully saved, and recently my mom sent one to me, dated September 13, 1977. In it, she writes about the days leading up to my first day of kindergarten.

Holding out for a Hero

May 20, 2021 by Heather Reid in family, kids

Science shows that superheroes really do inspire greatness. A 2016 study led by Rachel White of Hamilton College and Stephanie Carlson of the University of Michigan, titled “The Batman Effect,” shows the power of superheroes to inspire kids. In the study, young children demonstrated increased perseverance skills when asked to imagine themselves as a favorite character.

But as you grow up and move past the comic book superhero stage, who do you consider a hero?

Behind the Mask(s)

September 16, 2020 by Heather Reid in COVID, adultlife, family, fashion, friends, kids, momlife

Masks are the most depressing fashion accessory of 2020. In March, when it became clear that we were all going to be wearing them for the foreseeable future, I sewed a few for my kids and me.

A Menu for Change

June 21, 2020 by Heather Reid in adulting, chicago, education, family, food, friends, home, kids, memories

I noticed that even though my cookbook shelf was full, it was dominated by white authors and western-European cuisine. As someone who embraces new food, new experiences, I was embarrassed by the glaring omissions of the culinary foundations of American cooking on the shelf. Time for more change.

The Power of Yes

May 21, 2020 by Heather Reid in adulting, chicago, family, feminism, finding quiet, home, kids

A few months BC (Before COVID), I read Year of Yes, by Shauna Rhimes. The premise is deceptively simple: Despite incredible professional success, the Queen of Shaunda Land felt lonely and unfulfilled. On a dare from her sister, Shaunda spent a year saying “Yes” to everything – speaking engagements, parties, working out, salads, events – and she found her new life surprisingly rewarding and exciting in ways she hadn’t imagined it could be.

I was inspired and energized as she told her story, but as I considered my own life, I felt like I was very, very far away from So Much Yes.

I said no. A lot.

Are You What You Eat?

November 16, 2019 by Heather Reid in adultlife, education, family, food, home, kids, momlife

I have always had my doubts about people who don’t like to eat. Is my son one of those people? Someone who eats the same, monotonous thing every day, for his whole life and doesn’t think twice about it? Who never takes risks, never tries anything new, ever? Someone who eats McDonald’s in France?

The Best Seat in the House

October 16, 2019 by Heather Reid in adultlife, celebrations, family, home, kids, momlife

Friday nights have long been associated with good times: Happy Hours, date nights, movie premieres. Through the years I’ve looked forward to events like those, but lately, my Fridays are more about popcorn and pajamas than pomp and circumstance.

In our home, Friday nights are reserved for movies with my boys, and it’s my favorite thing.

The Hand-Me-Down Blues

September 16, 2019 by Heather Reid in adulting, fashion, home, kids, memories, momlife

My kids have so many clothes.

I’d like to blame my Rockstar-shopping Mom, but she’s really miraculous to behold. If I happen to mention to her that the kids would use an extra rash guard shirt or some variety of pants - like clockwork - a package appears on our porch with said items, and extra treat or two and some paper green anacondas. (That’s a whole other story.)