Back to School with the Bodkins

‘Hey, you have a face, teacher.’

Like nearly everything else this school year, COVID-19 played a part in parent-teacher conferences. But we were able to meet with our teachers in-person and found our girls are doing fine.

A 6-year-old goes months without seeing her best friend

The challenges of life during a pandemic have grown burdensome, even for Idaho’s youngest.

We scored some seats … to a high school basketball game

A night of hoops underscored growing desires for normalcy during a lingering global pandemic — despite COVID-19’s ongoing impacts.

Homeschooling during a pandemic can work. Just ask this mother of 13.

“That’s the big take away through this whole pandemic,” said Janet Cox, who’s found success in homeschooling her kids. “There’s no one-size-fits-all model.”

It wasn’t Santa at our door, but it might as well have been

It was our third-grader’s beloved teacher. Their relationship is the real deal, and a big deal during this pandemic.

We met Santa … at a drive-thru

Nevermind the car door separating us all. There he was, in all his splendor, an arm’s reach away. The Big Man. Father Christmas.

Limited human interaction could be harming our kids

Effects of the pandemic have underscored for my wife and me how much our kids need their friends.

They can’t cancel a holiday … can they?

With all the madness of recent months, the usual anticipation over the holidays have largely evaded us. Except for our kindergartener.

New house, new school, new friends … oh my!

Our kids are loving school, but we know an abrupt move to a new city by Christmas could wreck it all.

I have a new pen pal, and she’s obsessed with cheetahs

The first letter showed up on my keyboard Wednesday.