DanaSlatkin.com

On the car ride back from Casco, Maine, where I had just picked up my teenage son from summer camp, I resisted the urge to ambush him with questions about his month in the wilderness. Instead, we rode together silently, a boy on the brink of manhood and a mother aching to reconnect (but trying to heed the advice of her parenting books).   A few days and some meals later, we were able to pick up where we left off. We laughed a lot; I listened. Finally, one evening on an after-dinner walk through the Boston Commons, my boy’s sentiments surfaced in the form of a casual but incisive comment: “Mom, it was raw.” I had to consult the Urban Dictionary to understand what he meant. “Raw: pure, unadulterated, seriously … [Read more...]