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Why Our Response to Coke’s “America the Beautiful” Matters
My dad was 8 years old in 1956. That’s the same year he remembers watching his dad invite Mrs. Rhodes, the neighbor who’d knocked on their door in Seattle, paper and pen in hand, to get the hell off his property. Mrs. Rhodes, it turns out, was the mastermind behind a petition to keep a…
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DMV Responds Quickly to Adoptive Families
Yesterday, I wrote about an unfortunate situation at the Department of Motor Vehicles. To recap, the Oregon driver application form required me to identify myself via checkbox as my daughter’s “adoptive parent” which then caused confusion for the DMV employee about whether we would be required to provide proof of adoption before Abby would be…
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Dear DMV, Stop Treating Adopted Kids Differently (UPDATED)
I have a kid who just passed her driver’s permit test! WOOHOO! So, before I get grumbly, I just want to say, CONGRATULATIONS, ABBY! You did GREAT. You studied hard. You were motivated. You were determined. You were brave. You breathed in and you breathed out. Whether you’d passed or failed, I am, as always,…
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Why Not to Say “What Not to Say”: In Support of Asking Questions
It was the great American philosopher, Cookie Monster, who once said, “Asking questions is good way to find out about things.” Although I agree with Mr. Monster on this one, I always giggled when teachers said a similar thing, “Ask questions. And remember, there are no stupid questions.” Because there are stupid questions, of course.…