acceptance, Childhood Cancer, coronavirus, Parenting, Uncategorized

Living with uncertainty in the time of the coronavirus

March 29, 2020 pbrunskill

The Buffalo News published one of my essays today. It parallels the country’s reaction to COVID-19 with my daughter’s leukemia diagnosis, and how we can utilize long-term thinking strategies for dealing with the related anxiety.

MY VIEW

Living with uncertainty in age of coronavirus

Over the last week, a feeling of apprehension has swept over the country. With the coronavirus infecting thousands of Americans and cities taking drastic measures to slow the spread, citizens rush to combat this pandemic. We scramble for some sense of control, bury our fears and hope that life will soon return to normal.

It won’t.

The current reaction to COVID-19 reminds me of how I felt six years ago when my daughter…

Click here to read the entire piece.

Children with Incarcerated Parents, Criminal Justice, Parenting, Uncategorized

Visiting Prison: The Endless Wait

October 25, 2018October 25, 2018 Pamela Brunskill

I published an essay with The Osborne Association as part of their #SeeUsSupportUs campaign.

This one’s about the degrading treatment one receives when visiting a loved one in prison. If you haven’t joined #SeeUsSupportUs already, please consider doing so to support families coping with having an incarcerated loved one.

Here’s the beginning of the essay:

I got the feeling nobody wanted to be at Clinton Correctional Facility in the summer of 2003. Not the guards. Not the incarcerated. Certainly not me. Yet my sister and I drove there for the weekend because we wanted to see our dad for the first time in years.

The Sunday of that visit, we arrived at 7:45am in hopes of getting in at 8:30—we had a seven-hour drive back to Buffalo and wanted to leave by noon. We received visitor pass #56.

There were no signs telling us where to go, where to wait, what to do. Just a room of silent women, some with children, some itching to go outside and smoke.

To read the rest, go to http://www.osborneny.org/news/voices-from-see-us-support-us-pamela-brunskill/.

aging, Parenting

A Coffee Date at 40: Why Time For Ourselves is Essential

January 6, 2018February 5, 2018 Pamela Brunskill

I’ve got a new essay up at Parent.co today. Anyone who’s approaching or living through middle age and parenting, this one’s for you!

“It’s eight pm on a Saturday night. I’m in the middle of moving from central Pennsylvania to my hometown of Buffalo, New York. The move is part of some big, mid-life changes, and on this particular night, I’m by myself in Buffalo. So I call a…”

If it speaks to you, please share.

Best,

Pam

Children with Incarcerated Parents, Criminal Justice, Parenting, Uncategorized

The Crime Gene? No Such Thing.

March 30, 2017February 5, 2018 Pamela Brunskill

I have an essay up on Goodhousekeeping.com today that explores the idea of the crime gene. Take a look at how fear impacted my parenting during my lowest moment, and how gathering courage to face that fear allowed for me to be a better parent and person.

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“A week after the birth of my third child, I brought a few cups from the kitchen table to the growing pile of dirty dishes on the counter, too exhausted to actually load them. The C-section and my son Michael’s stay in the NICU had taken its toll, and I could barely function…”

Read the rest of the essay here!

Children with Incarcerated Parents, Criminal Justice, Parenting, Uncategorized