Culture

We’ve pieced ourselves back together in a patchwork quilt of ragged emotions. The aftermath of 9/11 wasn’t easy for us, yet it was much easier than for some. People standing 50 feet away from Peter didn’t come home that night; he did.

6. You do not need to comment on what my child is or isn't doing. "That's too bad you don't have your kids enrolled in advanced chess. I have my kids in advanced chess, and lacrosse, and calculus, and..."

As a professor, every September I preach the importance of showing up and focusing to my students while hiding a secret: I was a lousy student. Luckily, my youthful dissatisfaction with higher education led me to become the professor I wished I had.

Having the ability to homeschool your children is a gift wrapped in a ribbon of privilege with a bow of opportunity on top. There is no need to pretend like this isn’t the case, and while we sometimes struggled to make ends meet, my mom was still able to stay home and educate us.

See, sex requires everyone in the room be on board for whatever is happening. Some people like to think that they’re so in tune with their partner that they know what they can do and what they can’t do, but that’s a dangerous supposition. At any moment during a sexual encounter, something can change. Consent can be withdrawn.

2. Speaking of latchkey. We walked both to AND from school. ALONE. And we wore our house key around our neck. We got home and ate Twinkies and watched TV and talked on our corded phone and never did homework. No one thought this was a bad idea.

As a full-time New Jersey shore resident, I am grateful that I live a few blocks from the ocean in a place where many people save their hard-earned money to visit for just a few days or weeks. But instead of painting a false picture about living in “paradise,” I’m going to be honest about what my life is really like living in a place where everyone around you is on vacation.

Many people know the struggle of wearing too many hats in this life. God knows I have created quite the stack of them on top of my messy head of hair. Being a student while also working means you create much more of an experience than that of an added resume builder.