To my way of thinking, the American family started to decline when parents began to communicate with their children.

There would have been more 'I love you's' and more, 'I'm sorry's'.

I'm real ambivalent about [working mothers]. Those of use who have been in the women's movement for a long time know that we've talked a good game of "go out and fulfill your dreams" and "be everything you were meant to be." But by the same token, we want daughters-in-law who are going to stay home and raise our grandchildren.

The fact was I didn't want to look my age, but I didn't want to act the age I wanted to look either. I also wanted to grow old enough to understand that sentence.

It takes an uncommon amount of guts to put your dreams on the line.

You become about as exciting as your food blender. The kids come in, look you in the eye, and ask if anybody's home.

For some unexplained reason, it's always the other end of the table that's wild and raucous, with screaming laughter and a fella who plays 'Holiday for Strings' on water glasses.