For Lara

Getting my six year-old to school on time in the morning is a struggle—at best, a conundrum. Threatened by deadlines imposed by school boards and boards of directors, I hobble along with one foot in the grownup world and the other in the world of children.

How do I impress on my son the urgency of our daily mission when he’s rolling around on the floor pretending to be an amorphous blob? I hate to rush him into grownuphood when he’s still a resident of that magical six year-old place. Maybe my hesitation comes from wanting to hang back myself, and just.... play.