Appreciation is the purest,strongest form of love. It is the outward-bound kind of love that asks for nothing and gives everything.

I am an average mother in almost every way, so yes, much to my regret, I do yell at my children.

You have to speak your dream out loud.

He defined me first, as parents do. Those early characterizations can become the shimmering self-image we embrace or the limited, stifling perception we rail against for a lifetime.

If John Lennon was right that life is what happens when you're making other plans, parenthood is what happens when everything is flipped over and spilling everywhere and you can't find a towel or a sponge or your "inside" voice.

Raising people is not some lark. It's serious work with serious repercussions. It's air-traffic control. You can't step out for a minute; you can barely pause to scratch your ankle.

How seriously can I take myself? I'm just one of six billion people, right?