Teenage Girls

Sometimes I want to grow up to become an inspired and spirited teenage girl--just like Zoe. She's the daughter of one of my favorite school co-moms Lizanne. Moved by Sara Kay, Zoe has gotten into expressing herself through spoken word. Here is one of her first attempts, in a video she also made all by herself...

I am far, far from my teenage years but have yet to fulfill some of the items on that promise list. Oh my. Time to get to it.

In the meantime, I have to thank the lovely Lizanne and her equally lovely daughter Zoe for showing me that we need not be bothered by the Cassandras who foretell of scary teenagers during these Days of Evil Internet and Loose Morals. Teenage daughters are even scarier, they add. Sometimes they are. Sometimes they're like Zoe.

Yours with optimism,

chocolates and rain boots and hands

From all that math... we move on to poetry. 

Have you met Sarah Kay? According to a description in Brown University's website: Sara Kay is a slam poet. Sarah Kay moves mountains with her words. Sarah Kay is.

For us mothers, some mountain-moving words from the slam poet. 

Here she is at 18, the youngest guest at an episode of HBO's Def Poetry Jam. I get the sense this girl grew up totally free... to be herself. Again, inspiring.

Is it just me, or did Sarah Kay make you cry?