Burbs' Eye View:
When motherhood & suburban life take you by surprise.

You don’t have to fit in. Especially as a mother. Navigating the complexities of new parenthood in the suburbs of Pennsylvania, I set out more than a decade ago to expose what makes us relatable and, yes, imperfectly human. 

Life is unpredictable and it rarely goes according to plan, but the trials that challenge us are also the glue that bonds us. 

In a series of columns, I journeyed through the murky and imperfect world of parenting, the joys, frustrations and, yes, the Chuck E. Cheese prison sentences. 

Life isn’t simple, and neither are its choices

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There I was at Manhattan Bagel frantically tearing up bite-size pieces of my bagel so my then 9-month-old would stop trying to arch his way out of the high chair. Meanwhile, my 2-year-old stood wobbling on his own chair, licking butter off his toast while testing my patience. Then she walked in — all professional…

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The lure and the loathing of Chuck E. Cheese’s

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There are some obvious rip-offs we surrender to in suburban life — $5 sodas at the movies, $4 two-minute pony rides at community fairs and the inevitable trip to Chuck E. Cheese’s. Make no mistake, I am among you, dropping a chunk of my paycheck on tokens for games to get tickets to earn prizes…

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The Politics of Play dates, playmates

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My first introduction into the world of play dates was a shocker. Several years ago, I visited my friend with my first child, who was then 7 months old. It was exciting to bring our children together for the first time. I had been living overseas and wasn’t around to witness the parenting part of…

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