Let's chat Animö with Carö

Dear son, A chapter of your life is quietly closing. You are officially turning the page on adolescence. I have this urge to give you a dense package stuffed with all the wisdom and advice a mother can think of... I know it is futile, because learning doesn't happen through the reception of words and concepts but through experience. But maybe my words will serve as a validation tool one day, if you are ever confronted with the challenges and dilemmas that led to those words I am about to utter for your benefit... Leaving the nest, even if you come back on the weekends, is a huge milestone. Even though I know you are very capable and self-sufficient (you have always been eager to assist from a young age), having to do laundry, get groceries, cook, pay bills, problem-solve often all at once can be a little bit of a shock. College or university means bigger school, more people, more competition. You might struggle to keep your excellent grades (I certainly did, when I went from commun...

Dear son, Halfway through the puberty, this can be a pivotal stage. It has been for me. I was in the middle of high school. My academic future became more precise. I attended a talk given by a missionary physician and I thought it was my calling. My interest in closeness with boys became distracting but I continued to prioritize school work. I started becoming more fashion-conscious. I tended to copy my friend who got nice clothes, she must have found this a bit annoying but never mentioned it. I had no sense of style yet so I was exploring by relying on what I perceived as her good taste. We were really good friends, she lived on my street and we walked to the bus stop together. Her parents took me and my friend, an only child, to Wildwood, New Jersey, on a road trip that summer. I realize now I didn't have a passport, it was not required, I guess they used another ID, I cannot remember. Times have changed.  I remember vividly going to New York on the way there and we visited a ta...