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SARAH SMILEY

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If 1950s Women Were Trapped, So are We

January 11, 2017 Sarah Smiley
Motherhood

What ensnares women today is not that different from what ensnared them when our mothers were young. Instead of being the best wife, however, we’ve moved on to being the best mother. And even if we follow all the rules and recommendations, more rules will come along to show us that we’ve failed (that Fisher Price bike holds an electronic tablet for more ridicule-worthy screen time). We no longer worry about what our husband thinks of our hands, but we sure do worry that our son’s packed lunch won’t measure up to the one we saw on Instagram.

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In Motherhood, Marriage Tags motherhood, free range parenting, parenting, social issues, motherhood in the news, politics

Free-Range Parenting Will Take Guts, Groups

April 24, 2015 Sarah Smiley
Free-Range Parenting

Maybe moms finally have gotten tired of hovering over every art project. Maybe they are sick of the kids being inside. Maybe they’ve finally realized they don’t really want to sit and make small talk with someone else while their children have a playdate. (The best kind of “play dates,” by the way, are the ones where the mom drops off her kid so mine is entertained and I can mop the kitchen floor.)

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In Motherhood, Politics Tags free range parenting, parenting, motherhood, motherhood in the news, childhood, politics, social issues

The Physics of a Sunset, Mother's Love

August 27, 2014 Sarah Smiley
Maine Sunset

I think the best part of the sunset is after the sun has gone down. That’s when light reflects off some clouds and casts shadows on others. The colors turn warm — orange, red, and sometimes purple. If the sky is just right, the colors can even cast a glow on people’s faces. “Yeah, but then the sun is gone,” Ford said. “It’s already set.”

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In Maine Tags summer, lake life, maine, motherhood, parenting, childhood, boy mom, free range parenting

Syndicated newspaper columnist Sarah Smiley is the author of Dinner With the Smileys (Hyperion, 2013) and Got Here as Soon as I Could (DownEast, 2016). Described as an "Erma Bombeck" by Publishers Weekly, Sarah is best known for her sometimes funny, always endearing tales of raising three boys. She and her family live in Maine. 

Copyright Sarah Smiley

From The Blog

Blog
A Dog's Letter to His Boy
Motherhood
A Dog's Letter to His Boy
Motherhood

While everyone else makes me “sit,” “stay” or “shake” for a treat, you gave me bones just for showing up. When you called my name, it wasn’t because you wanted to know where I was. You actually wanted to talk to me. To play with me. And that’s why I came running. But you are growing now, Littlest Boy. Your pants don’t smell so bad. But you still slip turkey underneath the kitchen table. For that alone, I will follow you to the ends of the Earth. Or, at least the driveway.

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Motherhood
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Motherhood
When the First One Goes
Motherhood
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Motherhood
Lies People Tell You at the Lake
Maine
Lies People Tell You at the Lake
Maine

Summertime means that it's lake time, and when you go to the lake, there are a host of lies people tell you. There are the traditional lies about how big the fish was that someone just caught (hint: it’s always bigger than the one you caught the day before), but there are other lies, too, that have become so commonplace, they’ve mostly been accepted as truth.

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Maine