Melissa Heckscher

Dear Teachers, I just want you to know, there are days when I want to give up on this whole “distance learning” thing. There are days that I want to close my eyes and surrender—to let my kids plug themselves into Youtube or Xbox or whatever device they’d rather watch instead of doing school. Because,…

Dear Middle Child, I’m sorry that your sister was crying while you were getting your award at the school assembly today.

We were late again. The daily morning chaos had unfurled in all its glory:  Oldest Child was refusing to eat breakfast (this time because of a newly-erupted canker sore); Middle Child was lackadaisically searching the house for his shoes (which would inevitably be found a full 5 minutes later right by the door). Youngest Child,…

The kittens were about to run away. My 3-year-old daughter and I had just walked inside from the street and the kittens were trying to make a run for it. They were our 12-week-old foster kittens, and they weren’t supposed to be outside. I reacted, screaming simply: “The kittens!” as I lunged for the door…

Dear Horrible Person I Become When My Husband Gets A Cold: I don’t know where you came from or why you take over every time hubby gets a sniffle, but something’s got to change. I know you’re busy. I know that sniffle gives you one more thing to take care of in your taking-care-of-everything schedule.…

This article was originally published in the Daily Breeze, 2016.  The boxing gloves fit his tiny hands the way Daddy’s leather shoes fit his feet. But there he was: My 4-year-old elf child — standing a good six inches smaller than everyone else — with a punching bag hanging in front of him like an…

Dear Crazy Person Living Inside My 3-Year-Old, I’m sorry I pushed the garage door button. I forgot that you go absolutely bonkers when deprived of the opportunity to push any sort of button. I was in a hurry, and I wasn’t thinking. My bad. I’m also sorry for turning off the TV in the middle…