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When parents do what they have to do to keep the family afloat
We didn’t have a lot of money when I was growing up. (Wait — isn’t that what everyone says?) It was a time when Moms stayed at home and Dads earned the paychecks. We had one “previously owned” car. I...
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An old dog struggles to learn new tricks — but refuses to roll over or play dead
“Daddy, you smell like Sizzli.” I had just walked in the door after my overnight shift, and we were in the midst of our 3-way turnaround — Mom leaves for work, I get our daughter to the bus stop, and...
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Tiny daggers to a child’s heart: It’s parents who feel them most — and deepest
When your child comes home with one of those little daggers in her heart — or you sense the threat of one — parental instincts move into overdrive. One time while she was in Pre-K, our daughter had...
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For grown-up and kids, Santa’s true home lies between the manger and the mall...
Last week, we had one of those “Yes, Virginia” moments. Knew it would happen eventually. Standing in the supermarket aisle, she turns to me and asks, “Is Santa Claus real?” I wondered if she...
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A Tale of Two Mouths: The Tooth Fairy pulls through
It sounded like a blog-worthy idea: Similar, coincidental events of reasonable significance overlapping between the 56-year-old and the 7-year-old. Opportunities for a few clever comments, and some...
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Compassion? Marking special events can be a royal pain in the …
I I must’ve lost track of time in February, somewhere between the Royal Ball, Compassion Day, and Presidents’ Day. Back in my day, February was much simpler. We all know the impact political...
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Identity crisis: It’s back to (before) Square One, but it’s a full-time gig
“You are not your job. “I’ve been telling you that for two years.” My wife and I were surfing the wake of yet another oh-so-close interview that failed to land the job. In the two years since I was...
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Welcome back: Why do those Hollywood dance classics stir up the birds and the...
Writer’s block? More like the border wall President Trump is ordering Mexico to build. Sure, I’ve stashed a couple of half-hearted starts and musings in the draft folder. But I always remember the...
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Book ‘shares’ Lost in Space? NASA Barbie goes for a ride — Sally Ride, that is
They used to call them book reports, back in my day. Plain and simple, with your neatest handwriting. There was a word count, and you learned the tricks for padding your prose. Book reports were...
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Final say on Obituaries: Now it’s ‘Surrounded by family members’
You could say I’ve had a lifelong interest in obituaries. It began with writing them, in the early days of my career in journalism, and continues even today. But it makes me wonder about the future of...
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Illness in the family: But I didn’t realize they had one of those
We had a health scare last week with the newest member of the household. It made me confront for the first time how we would break the news to our child and cope with the death of a loving family pet....
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4 years, a broken arm, a broken vow — but she finally walked the aisle as a...
It’s interesting as to how life can take amazing twists and turns and yet somehow manage to land exactly where you hoped it was headed in the first place — even if it’s walking down the aisle at a...
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The wonder of imagination: Wayward fish gets a condo; preparing for ‘awful’...
One of the many gifts a child can share with you is the joy of imagination, the ability to sidestep the real world and build a unique environment — one that that can pull in adults and help them...
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The Banana Incident: Dad stands firm, instead of slipping up
Younger Child is getting older. We marked her 9th birthday with a truly enjoyable trip to the American Girl Doll store in New York City, and took in another few attractions. I didn’t expect a birthday...
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Recognizing how we’re alike, while others unfairly fear differences
Every once in a while, a parent is fortunate enough to look back on his or her past and suddenly see how it has become part of today and is destined to play an important role in a child’s future. This...
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Days of ‘magic’ might be passing for her — but never for parents
He casts a magic spell, as our daughter leans back in the plush seat. That’s the euphemism favored by our children’s dentist, who refuses to use the term “pulling teeth” in front of his young...
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40th Class Reunion pits memories vs. ambivalence; what’ll it be like for her?
Forty years. Sounds like a long time. That’s probably because it is a long time, even if you’re one of those Galapagos turtles. There’s a Pink Floyd lyric that’s always been lodged in my brain (taking...
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More Daddy-Daughter dynamics: Thawing the Cold Shoulder (if you can put your...
What am I really supposed to do when we see each other in the hallway or the library or the cafeteria? The first time this became an issue, I never saw it coming. I was trying to land a job at my...
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Close encounters with 9-year-olds: Please keep me from looking ‘stupid’
I should’ve seen it coming. Never pretend to understand the 9-year-old mind, for your efforts shall be fruitless and fraught with frustration. What am I talking about now? (A question that’s often...
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This year’s Santa Claus: Hoping her beliefs evolve – not vanish
To believe, or not to believe. Last year, we wondered if it was the last Christmas for Santa Claus with Young Daughter. It’s bittersweet, since she’s been a fervent believer since she could recognize...
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