I collect rocking chairs, at least I did for a while.  At one point I had 8 chairs and a small apartment, so there were even rocking chairs in the kitchen.  I’ve loved sitting in rocking chairs for as long as I can remember.  When I was a kid I loved sitting in the rocker that my mom gave to my dad when my oldest brother was born.  I have that chair now, upstairs in the bedroom that my granddaughters shared when they lived with us.

When the kids arrived it was important to establish a routine; I knew that even if I didn’t have any kids of my own.  Between my formal education and the years of caring for kids, I KNOW how important routine is for children’s growth and development; and their own feeling of safety for that matter.  But let’s call it what it really is:  a self-preservation…