“Though I know I’ll never lose affection
For people and things that went before
I know I’ll often stop and think about them
In my life I love you more … More The ultimate complication of being an Older Dad: Likely you’ll miss the 2nd (or 3rd) act of the show
You could call this, “the day Santa got booted from the mall.” In this case, Santa was me. And I actually got booted from the sidewalk in front of the mall. But the fact of the matter remains. It all began the Saturday afternoon of Thanksgiving weekend, and the parking lot at the local mall … More Hatching my latest scheme: This time, I get Santa kicked out of the mall
Moving to Florida has required many adjustments in our lives and traditions. This year, the pandemic has walked all over family plans. My wife’s family takes an annual trek to a different part of the country, and spends 7 days together under the same roof. Not this year. Daughter is excited about Christmas, but that … More Christmas trees Florida-style: Shopping in swim trunks, but sticking with a live tree
There is another type of Older Dad, Younger Child in our midst: Fathers who are raising their children’s children. Many causes create the situation: imprisonment, inability to provide care, and in the saddest cases, due to the death of a child. First, I have seen that losing a child is one of the most devastating … More There are older parents who bear a painful burden, but step up to stand in the light
Mobility is an important issue at age 13, especially when all of your friends live between 20 and 1,000-plus miles away. Normally, teens can do most of their feeding at the friendship trough during school, with the occasional weekend sleepover. These are not normal times (pardon my understatement). This pandemic has a ripple effect in … More Suffering social life: Teens need to see each other and get around, but parental taxi service piles up the miles
Being 13 years old is a full-time struggle. It’s tough to find friends — 3 schools in 3 years, and a 1,000-mile move. She’s met a few friends since moving to Florida; the 6th-grade friends from a different school have faded. Two friends she made this past year are still in the picture, but it’s … More Nobody wants visitors from Florida: Covid-19 means roadblocks at the border
“A father carries pictures where his money used to be.” —Steve Martin … More Father’s Day: If you’re lucky, you have received — or now you’re giving — great advice
When I was 13, getting braces was a drudgery no child would willingly anticipate or take on. They were ugly, they made you look different — “Hey metal mouth,” and “Is that railroad tracks in your mouth?” We’ve known for several years that Daughter would eventually need braces. Her teeth took on a life of … More When did this change? She couldn’t wait to get braces — but the price changed, too
If you have Facebook, it’s likely you get those flashback pictures — “10 years ago” and so on and so forth. It’s supposed to be a feelgood kind of thing. It digs deeper into your gut when a child is involved. Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve received several of those Facebook flashback moments. … More Facebook flashback photos take us back in time — but didn’t predict the future
It can be a rough tumble from top of the heap to just another face in the crowd. It’s a lesson Daughter and I have both experienced — actually, she’s experiencing it now. Many years ago, I yawned my way through the first six grades of what was then elementary school. Interesting aside: In these … More The 7th Grade Blues, When It Just Didn’t Add Up (for the first time)
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