Families

Happy Mom’s (and dad’s, and aunt’s and uncle’s, and grandfather’s and godmother’s….and, well you get the picture) Day

May 13, 2007
by Celeste Fremon
10 Comments


Hey, it’s a privilege to love kids. They don’t have to be your own. (But it’s really cool when they are!)

Today, my 21-year-old child [see photo of mom and tall son here] is taking me for an afternoon of “rock” climbing at a climbing gym as a Mother’s Day gift. This means that, by the end of the day I should have some really humiliating photos of my….er…..adventure.

This morning, I talked with two of my favorite East Los moms—Ophelia Duarte, , who has six kids, and Frances Aguilar, who has seven plus a beautiful step daughter. (I’ve written about them each here and here.) They are both amazing women. And I’m happy to report that, against more difficult odds than I hope I ever have to face….they’re both doing well.

Hope everybody else’s day is equally filled with joy, silliness and love.

UPDATE – Okay, I did it.

celeste climbing, Mom’s Day ‘07Will climbing, Mother’s Day ‘07

As Katherine Hepburn once said to Jane Fonda who then told me: “If you don’t try something new at least once a week, you become soggy.”

So, with my kid’s help and very patient encouragement, this Mother’s Day was a blow against…… sogginess.

Now back to our regularly scheduled programming.

10 Comments

  • In honor of Mothers Day, Pokey is recommending a book for Mothers who have boys.

    Happy Mothers day to Celeste and all Mothers.

    The Dangerous Book for Boys

    If ever there was a book to make you switch off your television set, “The Dangerous Book for Boys” is it. How many other books will help you thrash someone at conkers, race your own go-cart, and identify the best quotations from Shakespeare? “The Dangerous Book for Boys” gives you facts and figures at your fingertips – swot up on the solar system, learn about famous battles and read inspiring stories of incredible courage and bravery. Teach your old dog new tricks. Make a pinhole camera. Understand the laws of cricket. There’s a whole world out there: with this book, anyone can get out and explore it. “The Dangerous Book for Boys” is written with the verve and passion that readers of Conn Iggulden’s number one bestselling novels have come to expect. This book, his first non-fiction work, has been written with his brother as a celebration of the long summers of their youth and as a compendium of information so vital to men of all ages. Lavishly designed and fully illustrated in color and black and white throughout, it’s set to be a perfect gift for Father’s Day and beyond. Chapters in “The Dangerous Book for Boys” include: The Seven Ancient Wonders of the World, Conkers, Laws of Football, Dinosaurs, Fishing, Juggling, Timers and Tripwires, Kings and Queens, Famous Battles, Spies, Making Crystals, Insects and Spiders, Astronomy, Girls, The Golden Age of Piracy, Secret Inks, Patron Saints of Britain, Skimming Stones, Dog Tricks, Making a Periscope, Coin Tricks, Marbles, Artillery, The Origin of Words, and The Solar System.

    http://www.dangerousbookforboys.com/

    http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dangerous-Book-Boys-Conn-Iggulden/dp/0007232748

  • I’m very impressed. Now, for something new to avoid sogginess this week, become a conservative. That will take you to even greater heights.

  • Cool website, Mavis. Woody, I’ll definitely take your suggestion under consideration. And, Listener, thanks for the generous sentiments. But, while I was able to take photos of my son, a nice woman waiting for her own offspring took the photo of me (as my kid was, at the time, holding the belay rope to keep me from having an untimely airborne experience) and, the truth is, she very kindly only snapped pictures when I looked vaguely coordinated, as opposed to the decidedly…um… undignified moments, of which there more than a few.

  • Not photoshopped. (Well, cropped, and my usual spray-paint squiggling.) But a flash and the right angle covers a multitude of sins. Actually, I think my grin looks at tad grotesque, but it was either that one, or the one with the giant smear of climbing chalk across my face.

  • See, rlc. I told you it was authentic!

    I got worn out going to the top of a cliff in the mountains, but I took the path up rather than a rope. You prove that someone turning forty can stay fit and keep up with the kids.

    BTW, did you make it all the way to the top?

Leave a Comment