A few weeks ago, after a party, my son Truman, who is 7, asked me, “You know when I was outside yesterday with Danny?” “Did you have fun?” I asked. “Yeah,” Truman said. “Except Danny said he was going to kick me in the head because I don’t believe in God.” This is the kind […]
Kate Krautkramer
Posted inWotr
Having a third child in a world of scarcity
Whenever I approached my husband, I would have to think of the right way to phrase things. Rehearsing in my head, I’d stumble again and again on the word “want.” I might have been saying “I want a new sweater.” Or “I want to have pizza for dinner.” But I was almost 40, and I […]
Posted inWotr
Lessons from a porcupine
Nights were frosting already when the porcupine came down the hill and started nosing around our yard. This year, I started explaining to the porcupine how my mood generally follows the trend of the season. I told him I’d like him to understand a little about the condition of the world and how that relates […]
Posted inJune 7, 2004: Wal-Mart's Manifest Destiny
At home on the range with 10-year-old writers and dreamers
During a spring storm, a group of fourth-graders are considering how their lives will change in the future. I’ve asked them to think about anything that might be different for them tomorrow, or even 30 years down the road. A bunch of hands go up, and the first student I call on looks out the […]
Posted inWotr
At home on the range with 10-year-old writers and dreamers
During a spring storm, a group of fourth-graders are considering how their lives will change. I’ve asked them to think about anything that might be different for them tomorrow, or even 30 years down the road. A bunch of hands go up, and the first student I call on looks out the window and says, […]