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Erma Bombeck: “a strange little band of characters”

Apr 16th, 2008 by Jill

“The family. We were a strange little band of characters trudging through life sharing diseases and toothpaste, coveting one another’s desserts, hiding shampoo, borrowing money, locking each other out of our rooms, inflicting pain and kissing to heal it in the same instant, loving, laughing, defending, and trying to figure out the common thread that bound us all together.” –Erma Bombeck

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4 Responses to “Erma Bombeck: “a strange little band of characters””

on 16 Apr 2008 at 7:52 pm1Natalie

I like that!
on 20 Apr 2008 at 2:21 pm2AP

What a great blog concept. Blogrolling.
on 26 Apr 2008 at 1:00 pm3Little Wren

Hi there. Just checking to see how you are doing. Jill usually doesn’t let 10 days pass without a post…..hope everything’s ok.
on 26 Apr 2008 at 10:43 pm4Jill

Hi Little Wren! Things here are good. I was taking a blog vacation. A nice one. I’ll be back soon.

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About us

Katherine Shirek Doughtie is the mom. She is the author of Aphrodite in Jeans: Adventure Tales about Men, Midlife and Motherhood, and also blogs at Kathy's Blog.

Jill Davis Doughtie is the stepmom. She can also be found at Pasadena Housewife, Eye Level Pasadena, and friendfeed/jilldoughtie.

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G is Chris and Jack's dad and husband to Jill.

Chris is a teenager. He's Kathy and G's son, and Jill's stepson.

Jack is a tweenager (as he likes to be called). He's Kathy and G's son, and Jill's stepson.
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Kathy's book
Books about peacemaking and communication

If Jill could recommend only one book on building a better mom-stepmom relationship, it would be The Anatomy of Peace, and it's not even about stepfamilies. It's about helping things go right in all kinds of relationships. Related posts

People with drastically different communication styles can appear hostile to each other when they think they are signaling friendliness and consideration. That's Not What I Meant! is like the Rosetta stone. Related posts

One of the key ideas in this book is no one's needs in a relationship can be sacrificed. Not our own, and not anyone else’s. This book is about identifying and communicating feelings and needs in ways that are easier to hear, and it's about listening through difficult conversations for the feelings and needs others are trying to communicate. Related posts
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Books about stepparenting

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How To Talk So Kids Will Listen and Listen So Kids Will Talk is a great to read alongside the P.E.T. book above. The conversational techniques it teaches dovetail with the P.E.T. approach.

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Elizabeth Gilbert was recently divorced and miserable when she decided she wanted to travel around the world for a year, focusing on pleasure in Italy, devotion in India, and balance in Bali, and then write a book about it. She’s believable, she’s loveable, and she’s larger than life but not intimidating. She’s like a best friend or a sister calling that the water’s warm, the world is wild, and happiness after heartbreak is possible — even better than before. Related posts
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