Posts by Elizabeth Baker
Letters to Nolan: 2 Years Old
Dear Nolan, Happy Birthday to our baby, the caboose of our family. You are two. TWO! Honestly, I have no wistfulness about your babyhood slipping away or you being the last one; I’m excited for big kid stuff! You are a busy guy these days, with lots of budding interests. You love anything with wheels,…
Read MoreA Letter to My Young Children about Racism
I watched you playing in the backyard today, giggling without a care as you soaked each other with the hose. Mercifully, you are oblivious to the turmoil and heaviness that hangs over our country today. At four and almost two years old, you are too young to comprehend the violent events that unfolded this month…
Read MoreWhite People, This is On Us
I’m a white, middle class, stay at home mom to three young children. My life is busy, and many times, chaotic. There are constant messes, activity schedules, and exhaustion. Racial issues don’t directly affect me and my family, so it would be easy to dismiss this weekend’s events in Charlottesville, Virginia and carry on with…
Read MoreLetters to Nolan: 23 Months
Dear Nolan, This is the last month I will ever refer to the age of one of my children in months. And honestly, I’ve jumped ahead and in my mind, you are already two. Your independence, silliness, and tantrums, along with your constant talking, put you solidly in the “two year old” category. And…
Read MoreLetters to Charlotte: 4 and a Half
Dear Charlotte, Age has become a really big deal to you; you refer to anything in the past as either “When I was a baby” or “When I was three”. Well, you are now way past “baby” and even “three”, and here you are, somehow, at four and a half. In some ways, you…
Read MoreI Don't Want to Call Myself a Christian Anymore
I’m not going to show up at church on Sunday, talk about God with a bunch of people just like me, and pretend that makes me a good Christian, or even a good person. I’m not going to stay out of politics, despite being whispered about behind my back by pearl-clutching Christians who find “liberal” and “Jesus” to be incompatible terms.
Read MoreLetters to Nolan: 22 Months
Dear Nolan, I honestly barely remember a time when you weren’t here, the littlest bookend of our family. I watched you this weekend, trying to keep up with the big kids, idolizing your cousin and sister. You wanted to do anything and everything they did, and the phrase “Me too” was on constant repeat from…
Read More4th of July and Saying Goodbye
It’s been the best weekend, and I keep telling my kids they need to burn these memories into their brains, because this is the childhood I want them to remember. Charlotte, Nolan and I have been at my parents’ place in the country since Friday with my brother’s family. For the past 5 years, we’ve…
Read MoreEducation is a Right in America, So Why Isn't Healthcare?
Dear world leaders, dear brothers and sisters. Education is not a privilege. Education is a right. Education is peace. –Malala Yousafzai Of all the forms of inequality, injustice in healthcare is the most shocking and inhumane. – Martin Luther King, Jr. Most Americans put a high value on education, including myself. We moved to our…
Read MoreDear VP Pence, What Exactly Do You Mean by "Personal Responsibility"?
Dear Vice President Pence, I was scrolling Twitter last night and came across this tweet. And, I’m going to be honest, it triggered something in me. You see, I’ve been angry for a long time now, about a lot of things happening in our country. But my anger has been simmering, controlled. Tonight though, it…
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