Ever since I was a little girl, I’ve loved the story of Peter Pan. Tinker Bell, the Lost boys. and Wendy have always felt like my kind of people. Their adventures and wandering wherever the breeze took them made me feel like I could do the same. I remember growing up with the movie Hook and loving Peter as an adult finding his youth again and reconnecting with his kids. I dreamed of those connections with my own kids one day.

Now as a mom, I find myself wishing for my own Hook reconnection. A longing to be both responsible and silly, and a need to discipline lovingly but sternly. It seems impossible in a world of screens and kids who are exposed to more than they should be, younger than they should be.

There are days I wonder if my children will ever have the adventures I did. Hiding in the yard playing capture the flag or pretending to be, well anything. My kids are so overwhelmed by media and everything else that I’m afraid they won’t have any imagination at all.

In my fatigue I lose my temper. My patience wears thin and I snap. The girls run wild and I get embarrassed but I know that they have to discover their surroundings in order to