Gwen Rockwood
Stories by Gwen
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Oh, Yes, They’re The Great Pretenders
DAUGHTER HOSTS IMAGINARY MEALS
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Our 3-year-old daughter has moved out of the house and into a world of her own making. Sure, she’s still here physically, evidenced by the cracker crumbs on the kitchen floor and the pink clothes in the hamper. But her mind has taken up residence in the land of make-believe. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Birthday Memory Failing
‘YOU’RE ONLY AS OLD AS YOU REMEMBER’
NORTHWEST — Last week I had lunch with a good friend I’ve known since I was a freshman in college. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Saving Up For The Last Laugh
MONEY AIN’T FUNNY
ROGERS — When I was in my mid-20 s, I went to work for an ad agency and learned an important truth: “Money ain’t funny.” It was something my boss always used to say as a way to remind us not to make errors on billing and to treat our client’s budget with the utmost respect. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Daughter Encounters Dieting Kryptonite
DEEP-FRIED LOVE
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — Ifell off the diet wagon last weekend — and, oh, what a spectacular, delicious fall it was. I know I should take responsibility for it. After all, no one had a gun to my head, forcing me to go for that second or third helping. But I did have an accomplice in the crime, so let me just say this: “My mother made me do it.” OK, maybe she didn’t “make” me do it, but she did make the food during her visit last weekend, and that’s what triggered the fall from grace. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Let It Stop, Let It Stop, Let It Stop
WRITER NEEDS SOME ‘SPRING’ IN HER STEP
ROGERS — This morning I woke up, shuffled downstairs for caffeine and glanced out the kitchen window. What I saw woke me up faster than the Diet Dr Pepper. It was snow. Let me rephrase that. It was MORE SNOW! Read More »
ROCKWOOD FILES: Mental Pictures Better Than Real Thing
CAMERA-SHY MOM FACES THE LENS
ROGERS — A few weeks ago I got an e-mail from my editors asking me to come by the newsroom to have a new photograph taken. Read More »
ROCKWOOD FILES: Hanging Up On The Habit
WRITER GETS WAKE-UP CALL WE ALL NEED
ROGERS — Television can be a good thing sometimes. About a week ago, I saw a show that gave me the kick in the rear I’ve needed for a while. It was an Oprah show about one of Americans’ most dangerous habits — distracted driving — and it scared me, mostly because I knew it could happen to me. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Making Peace With Snap, Crackle, Pop
WRITER GETS HER GROOVE BACK
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — During the holiday break, I did something stupid — something that would have been no big deal if I was about 10 years younger than I am. But alas, the decade has taken its toll. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: But Wait, There’s More
MOTHER TIPTOES THROUGH COMMERCIAL MINEFIELD
NORTHWEST ARKANSAS — About an hour ago, something happened that made me realize we’ve had far too much TV time during the long holiday break from school. I came downstairs to make lunch and found 8-year-old Adam sitting at the counter watching the little kitchen television. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Losing Everything
MOTHER’S QUEST TO FIND WHAT SHE’S LOOKING FOR
ROGERS — There are days when I feel like half my life is spent looking for something. And I’m not speaking figuratively. I’ve already “found myself” and “found God” and found that both were there all along. I’m talking about looking for stuff — the lost toy, the permission slip for school, the library book, the other sock, the important receipt, the camera, the can of tomato sauce I know must be here somewhere, the double-A batteries, my sunglasses and the stuffed animal my kid just had in her hands 10 minutes ago. Where is all this stuff? Read More »
ROCKWOOD FILES: You Better Watch Out
YOU BETTER NOT WHINE
Even though Christmas isn’t over yet, I’m already a little sad that soon it will be. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: The Blessings Of Being Boring
GIVING UP THE GLAMOROUS LIFE FOR A GOOD ONE
Unless you’ve recently been run over by a reindeer or were in a coma, you have no doubt heard more than you probably wanted to about golfer Tiger Woods’ personal scandal. It’s nearly impossible to tell which parts of the allegations swirling around him are true or not true, but that’s not the point. The point is that it’s a big ol’ mess. Women, lies, text messages, voicemails, and a car crash — the guy’s personal life is a bigger wreck than his SUV. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES Making A List And Trimming It Twice
SHOPPING FOR A SIMPLER CHRISTMAS
Every year I swear I’m not going to let this happen again. But inevitably, it happens. I wake up one morning in early December and realize that, once again, it’s only a few weeks until Christmas and I haven’t bought a single thing. Not one single thing. The annual pre-holiday panic attack starts right about … NOW. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: ’Tis The Season To Drive
PLYING YOUNGSTERS WITH DVDS, GAMES KEEP THEM OCCUPIED
I’ve got that familiar feeling of pre-trip anxiety today. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: More Thankful Than Ever
HOW BAD TIMES MAKE GOOD TIMES BETTER
When I’m not writing for the newspaper (or driving carpool, or doing dishes, or staying way too busy to exercise even though I swear I’m going to), I’m writing every day for a Web site. And last week on the Web site, we asked an audience of mostly women and mothers to answer a simple question: “What are you thankful for this year?” Of course, I anticipated some of the answers — family, friends, good health, etc. What I didn’t expect was the sincerity and the bounty of those “thank you’s” and how those thanks were directed toward the source of all of it — God. Even in what are obviously hard times for many of those answering the question, people acknowledge and appreciate that God is taking care of them. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES Chocoholics Anonymous Unite
HUSBAND AND WIFE EXPERIENCE POST-HALLOWEEN HAUNTING
ROGERS — Hi. My name is Gwen Rockwood, and it’s been two hours and 43 minutes since the last time I stole a miniature Snickers bar from my kids’ stash of Halloween candy.” If the first step is admitting you have a problem, then fine. I said it. Read More »
Something funny is going on, and it’s a good thing
FAYETTEVILLE — I once saw a TV interview with actor Will Smith (who starred in “Men in Black,” “Independence Day,” etc.), and he mentioned that he cuts his kids some slack about breaking the rules if they happen to be really funny in the process. Read More »
The Rockwood Files: A little laughter goes a long way
ROGERS — I once saw a TV interview with actor Will Smith (who starred in “Men in Black,” “Independence Day,” etc.), and he mentioned that he cuts his kids some slack about breaking the rules if they happen to be really funny in the process. As a parent, this didn’t horrify me because I knew he wasn’t saying his kids get away with whatever they want as long as they’re funny about it. He was just making the point that there’s real value and a real advantage to having a good sense of humor, and it’s something parents ought to foster. Having a good sense of humor and knowing how to use it has made Will Smith a wealthy man. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES: Parenting: scarier than ghosts and goblins
This time of year, some people actually like to be scared. They go to novelty shops and buy plastic tombstones, fake severed limbs, and cobwebs to decorate their homes and yards. I like Halloween as much as the next person, but I’ll pass on the scary stuff. I stay scared 365 days a year. Why? Because I’m a mother. Read More »
The Rockwood Files What scares me most
BENTONVILLE — This time of year, some people actually like to be scared. They go to novelty shops and buy plastic tombstones, fake severed limbs and cobwebs to decorate their homes and yards. I like Halloween as much as the next person, but I’ll pass on the scary stuff. I stay scared 365 days a year. Why? Because I’m a mother. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES : What a fly on the wall hears at our house
FAYETTEVILLE — One of the perks of being a parent is that you’re often part of some interesting conversations. Here are a few excerpts from recent chats at our house. The first took place with 5-year-old Jack while we were loading backpacks to take to school the next morning. Read More »
The Rockwood Files : Talking about dinosaurs, manners and quesadillas
FAYETTEVILLE — One of the perks of being a parent is that you’re often part of some interesting conversations. Here are a few excerpts from recent chats at our house. The first took place with 5-yearold Jack while we were loading backpacks to take to school the next morning. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES : Displaced writer learns to appreciate home
ROGERS — Dorothy was so right. Her famous line “There’s no place like home” is not just true in “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s true everywhere and all the time. Read More »
The Rockwood : Files It’s good to be home
ROGERS — Dorothy was so right. Her famous line “There’s no place like home” is not just true in “The Wizard of Oz.” It’s true everywhere and all the time. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES The things that go bump in the night
FAYETTEVILLE — Iwoke up early this morning to a familiar feeling. It was an elbow in the middle of my back. I scooted out of its way and turned my head to see who it was connected to. It was Adam, our 7-year-old. Next to him was his 5-year-old brother Jack snuggled under my husband's arm. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES : When allergies attack, it means it's the season for sneezin'
ROGERS — Like most teenagers, I spent the better part of my high school career being annoyed with my parents. My mother, in particular, had a very irritating habit. Each year at about this time, she would start sneezing. And she would sneeze long sequences of sneezes - sometimes 10 in a row, barely coming up for air. Read More »
The Rockford Files : The season for sneezin'
ROGERS — Like most teenagers, I spent the better part of my high-school career being annoyed with my parents. My mother, in particular, had a very irritating habit. Each year at about this time, she would start sneezing. And she would sneeze long sequences of sneezes - sometimes 10 in a row, barely coming up for air. Read More »
The Rockwood Files Writer goes home again
BENTONVILLE — A few weeks ago I went home and spent part of the weekend hanging out with my "Stuttgart girls," named after the small town in southeastern Arkansas where the four of us grew up. It was the first time we had all been in a room together in more than four years. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES Hanging with the girls is like stepping back in time
FAYETTEVILLE — A few weeks ago I went home and spent part of the weekend hanging out with my "Stuttgart girls," named after the small town in southeastern Arkansas where the four of us grew up. It was the first time we've all been in a room together in more than four years. Read More »
The Rockwood Files Writer's old brain makes a comeback
Yesterday I took my son's hand-held video game away from him. He hadn't misbehaved, and he'd already finished his homework. I made up some excuse about how it was a sunny day and he should get outside and take advantage of it. He relinquished the game and shuffled out to the driveway with a basketball in hand. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES Dead car battery threatens 'Mommy Nirvana' moment
Today started out great. It's the last day of summer vacation, so the kids and I slept late this morning. I didn't wake up until Jack, my soon-tobe kindergartner, climbed into bed and snuggled up next to me. I put my arm around him, and we talked about how exciting the first day of school would be. We stayed there doing nothing for a while, and I soaked up the feeling of how nice it is to lounge around lazily with your little ones. One last day of "no fuss, no rush." Tomorrow morning would be much different. Read More »
The Rockwood Files What a mom will do for a haircut
Today started out great. It's the last day of summer vacation, so the kids and I slept late this morning. I didn't wake up until Jack, my soon-to-be kindergartner, climbed into bed and snuggled up next to me. I put my arm around him, and we talked about how exciting the first day of school would be. We stayed there doing nothing for a while, and I soaked up the feeling of how nice it is to lounge around lazily with your little ones. One last day of "no fuss, no rush." Tomorrow morning would be much different. Read More »
The Rockwood Files End of the summer inquisition
ROGERS — Seven days are all that's left of summer break. The back-to-school countdown has begun, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's bittersweet, really. Part of me is glad for the return of a normal routine, and part of me is sad to see my two boys go off to spend the majority of their day and week away from me. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES Questions and more questions means he's ready for school
FAYETTEVILLE — Seven days are all that's left of summer break. The back-to-school countdown has begun, and I'm not sure how I feel about it. It's bittersweet, really. Part of me is glad for the return of a normal routine, and part of me is sad to see my two boys go off to spend the majority of their day and week away from me. Read More »
The Rockwood Files : From Walden to wireless
ROGERS — Yesterday I got up and did the same things I always do - brush my teeth, pop in my contacts, scoop a sleepy 2-year-old out of her bed and amble downstairs to the kitchen where the boys are waiting for breakfast. Once I get breakfast in front of the kids, I sneak over to my computer, and they hardly notice me leave because PBS cartoons are far more interesting than I am at that hour of the morning. Read More »
THE ROCKWOOD FILES 'On Walden Pond' provides thoughts while off of Internet
FAYETTEVILLE — Yesterday I got up and did the same things I always do - brush my teeth, pop in my contacts, scoop a sleepy 2-year-old out of her bed and amble downstairs to the kitchen where the boys are waiting for breakfast. Once I get breakfast in front of the kids, I sneak over to my computer and they hardly notice me leave because PBS cartoons are far more interesting than I am at that hour of the morning. I push the power button and it instantly turns blue under my touch as the machine whirs to life. Read More »