When in the presence of a child, get on the floor.

They were real people who entertained and argued and existed entirely independently from him, although he had set the thing in motion. They had different thoughts and beliefs. ~ on children growing up.

My children know the truth about me but still tolerate me, so far.

Generally she kept her head down, but on the occasions she raised it she was treated to the most intimate of panoramic views: the scattered possessions of the three people she had created. Several small items made her cry: a tiny woollen bootie, a broken orthodontic retainer, a woggle from a cub-scout tie. She had not become Malcolm X's private secretary. She never did direct a movie or run for the Senate. She could not fly a plane. But here was all this.

More silence; children's silence, so desperately desired by adults yet eerie when it finally occurs.

First rule of writing: When still a child, make sure you read a lot of books. Spend more time doing this than anything else.