The trouble with having such a deep knowledge of my family history is I find I must bite my tongue when my kids speak casually of their interests. I have no desire to bog them down with the weight of our history. When my kid says she’d like to grow up to be a dancer I want to say, “Like your great aunt.” When they learn to ice skate and say they can never do it I want to say, “But your grandmother became quite good at it living outside of Chicago.” When they tell me they love

The items my performer parents accumulated in their long careers sometimes travel down to me in the form of mysterious poster tubes. I have a vague sense of the contents but I’m afraid to unroll them because they are from as far back as 1947 and fragile as a butterfly wing. These were not designed to be long-lasting posters. These are thin paper that got plastered across walls with cheap glue and the expectation of impermanence. I had looked into mounting and framing for post

There are studies that show military brats are a unique subculture. Compared to the average person they exhibit greater resilience, ability to adapt to new situations, and a knack for making new friends. They have extensive exposure to foreign cultures and languages, as well as exposure to regional differences in their own nation. The children of military families are often expected to reflect the military training and culture of their parents: they follow a code of service f