Regina McMenamin
Bio
R.C. McMenamin holds a Masters of Fine Arts in Creative Writing for Children and Young Adults from Hamline University, and lives with her children in Mullica Hill, NJ.
Stories (7)
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Happy Birthday to a Renaissance Dad
At some point, as a family, we decided that on someone's birthday, you could only tell stories about them. I think I started this, on my birthday, the eternal attention seeker that I am. It might not be true, but the McFamily generally goes along with the idea that it holds some stock if you think it's true. (I also swear I invented the word sexting-- or at least used it before I heard it to admonish a sister for texting a boyfriend at the dinner table.)
By Regina McMenamin5 years ago in Humans
Philadelphia Freedom
City Day There are city rules that say you keep walking. You do not engage. I learned at early age street smarts. I started taking trains by myself before I was a teenager. I knew not to stop; I knew not to talk to strangers. I knew which bridge not to go under. If someone is begging, they very well may be running a con. If someone asks you the time, they may be trying to steal your watch. You can't help the poor with money-- they'll likely put it in their arm. Carry a cross-body purse or, better yet, a backpack. Hair in ponytails can be problematic- consider braids or twists. Musicians playing on the street are running a scam because they're not good enough to get hired. If you see someone ranting to themselves, they are likely very dangerous. When someone says, "Excuse me, can I ask you a question?" Pretend you can not hear it. Whatever they say will be some nonsense. Keep walking. Men who stop to compliment you want one thing-- and they'll steal it if you let them. They do not deserve your time or attention.
By Regina McMenamin5 years ago in Families
Women's Work
Dilly Simmons went to the finest schools of all the moms in line at the parent pick-up. Not that anyone could tell that. Twenty years ago, she had worn her education on a decal on her car. Now, her SUV, which felt more like a mini-van prison, held only the Mickey Mouse-Eared decals of the family she had made.
By Regina McMenamin5 years ago in Families
