Life, the way I believe it’s meant to be lived anyway, is a ground-floor adventure. We have to be down on the front lines if we’re to really experience all its splendor and tragedy. But that doesn’t mean we should spend all our time there. It doesn’t mean we should never retreat to strategize. If […]
I think personal legacy is something most people contemplate at some point in their lives. How do I want to be remembered? What piece of me do I want to live on after I’m gone? These questions become even more focused when one becomes a parent. Will my children continue to live by the values […]
A few days ago CBS News published a story on Vice President Joe Biden. I’m not especially prone to an interest in politics, so I don’t know a whole lot about specifics of his accomplishments in office. From my non-political position, I consider Biden’s greatest contribution to be his empathetic nature. He exudes such a […]
If you’re anything like me, you have regular conversations with the wall. Three-foot high walls that poop. It’s so hard to tell if what you’re saying is getting through to them, that sometimes you wonder why do I bother? Where is the evidence of parenting success in my daily life? Is parenting an exercise in […]
So, what is the most important lesson your dad has taught you? The question ripped through me like a rusted blade, though not for the reasons you might think. It wasn’t because I had no answer, but rather because I wasn’t sure which of his many lessons to choose. I didn’t know which one lesson […]
Last week I went to pick up Joey from his after school program. When I got there he came running up to me with a huge smile on his face. “Daddy, guess what?!” Then he pulled on my shirt until I bent down so he could whisper in my ear. “I know how to tie […]
All parents have insecurities. We all do things and then look around to see if anyone saw how awful we are at this thing that has been around for millennia yet has never been perfected. Why are we so hard on ourselves? What can we do to lessen the self-imposed burden and focus on the […]
I often think about my kids’ future. I have moments of worry. But I also have moments of sheer excitement. They have their whole lives before them. The possibilities are limitless. Our youngest, Gabby, is a good example of what I mean. She’s a year and a half old. She hasn’t started school. Contrary to […]
I always loved Christmas when I was little. What kid doesn’t, right? But for me, the extended time off of school was just as exciting as the holiday itself. Our kids recently enjoyed their first real Christmas break — eleven consecutive days of ruling the roost. Relaxed bedtimes. Wide open wake times. The inclusion of […]
In my last post I wrote about why I think it’s important to know where you and your family are going in life. Near the end of that post I suggested that defining success and then basing all your decisions on reaching that outcome is ideal: Ask yourself what a successful day/week/year/lifetime looks like for […]
