Have you ever noticed that, when it comes to taking your kids out to dinner, the selections in your average place are pretty much the same: macaroni and cheese, chicken fingers, hot dog, cheese quesadilla, hamburger, pizza? Every once in a while you’ll find somewhere that has a few more “out of the box” suggestions… Continue reading Credit where it’s due
Why are families so hard? I know it must be if not universally true then at least universally acknowledged that families can be difficult to deal with. I watch tv and I see it as a recurring theme. For some shows it is the entire premise. So why is it that the people who should… Continue reading The unbearable hardness of families
Making a trip cross country with animals is an interesting experience. Thinking about taking the “kids,” as we called them, across the country for the move was a cause of much anxiety for me. We didn’t have the puppy yet but had our old dog, and we knew she was going to be at… Continue reading Live in the now, man!
A long time ago I made myself a promise that I wouldn’t write anything that would make Daughter feel embarrassed were she to read it later in life. I am not going to break that promise, though I might get close. For my sanity, this needs to be written. It is shocking to me to… Continue reading I’ve got my red shoes on
I have this friend who is doing something pretty major in her life. It’s the sort of thing that has involved a ton of planning, life evaluation, major decision making, consult from third parties, more money, I’m sure, than I can imagine, and lots and lots of patience. It also involves needing to get a… Continue reading Butterflies
I hurt my back. I have no idea how this happened. There was no “precipitating event” as they say; it just occurred. One day I was fine, the next I was starting to get stiff, and by the next morning my lower back was having uncontrollable spasms and I was in extraordinary pain. The doctor… Continue reading Stuff I notice when I’m in pain
The other morning I made the usual drive to drop Daughter off at school. We made our way through the line of cars to the drop off area, and I said my usual morning words. I told her she’s awesome and intelligent. I told her she’s strong and funny. I told her to go… Continue reading Go be amazing
When I was a student teacher, I was fortunate enough to work with some pretty amazing masters in their classrooms. One of them, a wise and hilariously sardonic intermediate teacher who was nearing the end of her career, noticed my leanings towards anxiety long before I had any clinical diagnosis, and pulled me aside for… Continue reading It’s all in the cards
Lately I’ve been feeling pretty frustrated about the attitude that Daughter has had with me. I’ve written about it in a few ways, and I’ve written about ways that I have attempted to handle it. Some of them have been successful, and some have been less so. Even when I have a day or a… Continue reading We’ve all got problems
I’m a sort of obnoxious parent. For reasons that are right for my family and me, I rationalize and reason with Daughter so that she is sure to understand the consequences she receives for her actions almost all of the time. This goes for positive and negative consequences, and it works for us. Daughter is… Continue reading To reason or not to reason
Elephants in the Room 