Columnist Tyra Damm | Life/Travel | News for Dallas, Texas

Tyra Damm

03/10/2010

As we age, ghost stories lose their power (right?)
Some childhood fears are hard to shake. I have adult friends who must close closet doors before going to sleep because of longstanding fears of what might lurk in the closet at night. Or who can't sleep in pitch black. Or who still harbor apprehension over clowns or ventriloquist dummies.

03/05/2010

I'm still me, even in a new setting
I moved frequently as a child. I don't remember dreading the change but rather viewing each new neighborhood and school as a chance to become better! Smarter! Prettier! More popular!

03/04/2010

Shared experiences often turn strangers into friends
When I catch parts of televised award shows these days, I feel a little old and a little lost.

02/26/2010

Homework help is a tough test for moms
I am fully prepared for the laughter and jeering that may come from parents of middle school and high school students when I declare that third-grade homework is tough.

02/25/2010

Grief, like life itself, isn't something you can plan
I'm the kind of person who loves a dependable routine. Schedules, calendars, itineraries and agendas make me happy.

02/19/2010

A job title that makes little sense: 'just a mom'
In retrospect, my decision to quit my full-time job to stay home with our two young children made perfect sense. At the time, though, there was all kinds of angst.

02/18/2010

My gramma's poetic soul sings with her namesake's
When Steve and I named our daughter after my maternal grandmother, we had no idea how fitting the gesture would be.

02/13/2010

After a day in the snow, this 'No Mom' is melting
Do you remember the Jim Carrey comedy Yes Man ? Carrey's character, Carl, turns his life around when he starts saying "yes" to everything, reversing his inclination to say "no."

02/11/2010

One family's green lifestyle, from clotheslines to worms
The Von Tress home seems pretty typically suburban from the front entryway. But if you wander into the back yard or peek in the garage, you'll spy clues that life is a little different here.