Raspberry raccons, enjoying your kids

I have been hearing a lot this week about children making women less happy than they were when childless (see Jennifer Senior's article, All Joy and No Fun: Why Parents Hate Parenting.) I won't argue with the data, but wonder about the causes. Maybe it's the loss of personhood? The never ending requests for candy or a winter jacket in 100 degree weather? I'm sure each woman feels differently about her children, but I have a vague feeling that the happier mothers fall into two camps: those who love being children themselves, and enjoy entering their kids' worlds, and those who are extremely determined to bring the children into the enjoyable parts of the mother's world--movies, art, swimming, whatever she likes to do.

What do you think? I think someone needs to write a manual for mothers: How to Enjoy Your Children. Oh, wait, there is all kinds of advice about that-- mostly focusing on bubbles and blocks, I have to say, not very much on bringing kids along to do more adult things...

In painting, I am still struggling with the heat as I try to finish my painting before the baby arrives.

And my Raccoon On Strike painting got included in this lovely Etsy Treasury: Raspberry Martini, curated by SnowInJune. My favorite item is the felted bag.









We went to the Barrington Beach to swim this last Friday, and Laurent took this photo of the sky. It was a beautiful evening, just the two of us.

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