Dynasty West swears under oath, these
underpants do not contain magical powers.
Pals

attachment 101

I applaud your article “Attachment Theory in Everyday Life,” by Lauren Lindsey Porter (May– June 2009). It comforted and encouraged me during this sleep-deprived time, when I could be tempted to move our 11-month-old boy, Bodhi, into a crib and not attend to the last step in the article: responsiveness. With my four-year-old, Coda, I stuck with my intuition and kept sleeping with and nursing him until he was two. He’s now a very confident and secure kid who loves his big-boy bed and knows he can count on us for proximity, sensitivity, and responsiveness.

SUSAN FLECK-SPIER

Salt Lake City, Utah

See MotheringDotCommunity responses to this article on page 27.

get your freaks on

I read with glee Elee Kraljii Gardiner’s article, “Freaky Salon,” in the May–June 2009 issue of Mothering. For a long time now, I have been a fan of themed social gatherings. My interest in such parties emerged upon my realization of three things. First, all we ever seem to do at parties is eat and drink—two of the behaviors that are killing us as a nation. Second, we—and, among us, especially European Americans—do very little singing and dancing. Third, as good as laughter is for our health, we sure could do more of it. To redress these faults, I have tried over the years to bring people together in ways that make us better, merrier partyers. The following is a list of events I and friends have hosted over the years:

Game Night. Board games, charades, Twister, etc. Brings out the inner child in the adults and lets kids do what they know how to do best: play.

Talent Night. This is most like Gardiner’s Freaky Salon. Each person brings a talent to share. It could be showing artwork, reading poetry, demonstrating a martial-art move, performing a dance, telling a story, playing an instrument, etc. The ground rules were similar to those at Gardiner’s event, to ensure maximal participation and minimal shyness. The guests often learn that their friends have talents they didn’t know about.

Wine Tasting. No sommeliers here. Instead, the experts are the guests. Each guest brings a wine that they like and explains why they like it. Or they bring a wine new to them and explain why they picked it. In both cases, guests are encouraged to share stories of their first wine tasting, and to investigate the wine

so that they can share information about it (region of origin, what food it pairs well with, how to serve it). Have kids bring their favorite nonalcoholic drink.

Joke Night. Each guest brings a joke to tell.

Fondue Party. One cheese fondue, one oil (for meat or veggies), and one chocolate. No performances, but cooking together is creating together!

Sing-along. The host prints out lyrics to popular songs and distributes them to guests. Music can be provided by one of many online karaoke websites.

TANYA NIERI E-mail

celebrating creative mothers

Thank you so much for publishing “Crafty Mamas” (March–April 2009)! I was inspired and affirmed to see such wonderful examples of creativity and out-of-the-box approaches to living simply and beautifully. In this difficult economic time, my husband and I, both full-time teachers, have taken the leap to turn our craftiness into a small business. We’ve found an incredible community on Etsy ( www.moonpathdesigns.etsy. com), and we’re starting to connect with local retailers and art festivals. Please check out our new design, hand-printed, using our original blocks, on an organic, sweatshop-free onesie.

CARRIE CAUDLE AND KEONI YU

Petaluma, California

I loved “Crafty Mamas.” I was so inspired, in fact, that I started a blog and realized that there is a whole community of moms who are creating different art forms and are part of the make-it-yourself movement. I have started projects I wouldn’t have considered a year ago.

GENNY ENTEZARI