Mama Says #7

Mom nudged the dog off her lap and stood up. It was that time every evening when she would leave the living room and go get comfortable in the bedroom with a book, a lifelong habit. She said, “I have to go read about Amish people.” In other words, she was reading the...

Taking Care of Your Baby—Then and Now

While I was researching for The Pursuit of Lucy Banning, I found an amazing book from the time period. The Care and Feeding of Children: A Catechism for the Use of Mothers and Children’s Nurses was published in 1894, perfect for my needs. (But I can’t tell you more...

Life on the Spectrum

Robby’s feet left the ground. The little guy balanced himself over the front edge of a cavernous toy box and dug through the contents. I remember his blue corduroy overalls as his head went lower and his feet went higher. But I remember what he said even more clearly....

Mama Says #6

The television was on and I wasn’t paying much attention. A human interest story came on, the sort that newscasters use to end a depressing report on a lighter note. A couple in their nineties got married, and it was the first time for the bride. Mom said, “See! She...

Museum of Wonder and Curiosity

I grew up in a suburb of Chicago tucked under an east-west runway of O’Hare. School field trips invariably involved the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago. On any given school day, hordes of kids from all over Chicagoland rotated through exhibits. And the...